


Season 4 re-write

by WentworthFan10



Category: Wentworth (TV)
Genre: Action, Drama & Romance, F/F, F/M, Fights
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:53:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 91,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25491169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WentworthFan10/pseuds/WentworthFan10
Summary: Season 4 from the way I'd wish it was done. The main plot will be Joan Ferguson being in General as an inmate and plotting revenge on all those who wronged her and her eventual plan to escape with the help of an Officer. Franky and the new psychologist Bridget Westfall struggle with their instant connection and deepening feelings for each other. Bea faces a challenge like no other...falling in love with a new inmate of a new gang who thinks Bea is the reason they ended up in prison. Vera finds herself pregnant with Jake's baby. Sean Brody enters Wentworth as a new Officer with a devious plan.
Relationships: Allie Novak/Bea Smith, Franky Doyle/Bridget Westfall, Vera Bennett/Jake Stewart
Comments: 71
Kudos: 120





	1. The Second Day

**Author's Note:**

> Basically season 4 from my own POV. Some things will be the same and some will be different. I'm a huge Fridget/Ballie shipper and I've always been gutted that we got to see so little of them behind bars together, especially Fridget who have to fight to keep their feelings at bay. For example, Bridget will first appear here instead of season 3 so she never met Ferguson as Governor. Doreen won't be featured as I wasn't a massive fan and writing her in this story would take hime away from Fridget/Ballie etc. Jake still worked for Ferguson but he done it when they were both officers, he threatened to expose Will for having Harry Smiths murder weapon so that's why Vera hasn't fired him. The "original" gang were away for four months just like the start of season 4 so Will and Kaz are very much enemies when the story begins...but it won't stay like that for as long as it did in the show.

"I warned you, didn't I?" Vera half laughed. She help up her empty coffee cup, her hand gesturing to the woman opposite her, silently offering her a refill. The blonde nodded politely.

"Thank you, Governor. Excellent hospitality." She smiled gratefully with a light laugh. It had been a long day, Bridget had lost count of how much coffee they'd gone through since 7am and it was now close to 3:30pm. The Governor had been in meetings all day yesterday, on her first day, so Bridget was left in the capable hands of the Deputy Governor Will Jackson as he showed her around the prison. She'd briefly saw Vera at the end of the day, the flustered Governor apologising profusely as she hadn't been there on her first day. They'd chatted for a little bit, arranging to meet early the next day for Vera to go over all the prisoners and their individual situations relating to who would need to see Bridget and for what reasons. 

Vera vehemently shook her head as she sipped her coffee. "Please call me, Vera. I want us to be comfortable with each other, so please....Vera is fine." Although she had flourished from the shy Deputy Governor she once was, the new Governor still struggled with words sometimes and often found herself fumbling. She had a feeling that was about to happen as she couldn't quite figure out how to word what she wanted to say. "Listen, I've been here almost seven years, I'm familiar with every single prisoner so we're definitely going to need to rely on each other. I'm not trying to force you into being friends or anything but, well...if you ever have a bad day and need someone to talk to, well...then I'm always here. I know how difficult some of the women can be and it's hard sometimes."

Bridget smiled gratefully. "I appreciate that a lot. Thank you." She tried her hardest to not constantly be a psych but sometimes it was impossible; despite being the Governor of a prison, Vera seemed nervous when the topic strayed even the slightest from work. "I've finally just finished decorating my new place actually. Would you like to come over for a drink one night? I haven't lived here before so I don't exactly have any friends...other than the dog that is."

Nodding a little awkwardly, Vera confirmed, "That would be really nice. Thank you." 

"Just as long as you don't mind the dog," Bridget laughed then shook her head a little.

"The dog's a problem?" Vera questioned, eyebrow raised.

Bridget only shook her head. "No, he's the sweetest dog. I moved to Sydney when my mother's dementia worsened about a year ago and by the time I'd packed everything up and got there...my father had went and gotten himself a dog; said he didn't want to be alone in the house when my mother went into a care facility. Anyway, he got him when he was around 3 months old and then two months later my father was diagnosed with cancer. It spread incredibly quickly so Reegan has basically been mine since I went back to look after my parents. I know I work long hours but I couldn't give him up so he goes to a day care play thing and I get him after work. It's like having a child honestly."

"My god, I'm so sorry," Vera said sadly. "Your parents..."

"They both passed away within three months of each other and when that happened, I decided I needed somewhere new I hadn't been before. And that I definitely needed to get back to work so when I saw the position for Wentworth, I immediately applied."

Vera smiled sympathetically. "Im sorry, Bridget. My uhm, my own mother passed away just under a year ago...cancer."

"I'm really sorry to hear that," Bridget offered up. But before she could say anything else, Vera had clearly noticed the time and began shuffling paperwork around her desk and out of the way.

"I know Mr Jackson gave you a tour yesterday and you met some of the prisoners in passing but I have a meeting with Bea Smith and Franky Doyle right now actually and I'd really appreciate if you could stay. I know we haven't spoken about them today but I'd like to make time either tomorrow or Wednesday to go over them both with you. It's quite a long... interesting story."

Bridget recalled their names from yesterday, Mr Jackson had spoken about the two top dogs but she had yet to meet either. She had saw Bea Smith all over the news after she escaped prison to kill Brayden Holt but she had yet to meet Franky Doyle. "You want me to stay for the meeting?"

"Yes, please. If you wouldn't mind," Vera asked timidly. "I have to tell them some information that neither are going to appreciate and after I do, I'd really like you to meet with them both tomorrow if you have space in your schedule."

"Is it about Joan Ferguson?"

Vera looked up, shocked. "How did you know?"

"Well, this is the only maximum security prison in the state so, naturally, she'd have to be remanded here until her trial. And from everything I've read about the woman, I highly doubt she's going to make the next 5 months easy for you." Bridget's face was neutral but Vera's was filled with shock. The board had definitely hired the right woman, and a woman she could possibly see herself being friends with. The only real friend she had was Will. She still refused to speak to Jake unless absolutely necessary. Linda was someone who she could have a night out with if she was feeling stressed but the two of them wouldnt exactly sit down and have a heart to heart. Fletch had moved away so she didn't have him anymore. 

"I know the system," Bridget laughed in an obvious kind of way but without being arrogant. "So, I'm guessing you want me to gauge how they react and try and talk to them tomorrow?"

"Wow, you are good." Vera was glad; Bridget was beyond experienced, she knew exactly what was needed without being told it was needed. "Just a quick warning...Bea and myself were the ones who wanted a psychologist. Franky had no issue but she's not going to be interested in you in any way; don't take offence. Bea is the strong and silent type and Franky is the complete opposite. Franky is probably the smartest person in this prison but she's adament she can do anything and everything by herself. She's her own worst enemy."

Just then, a knock on the door rang out followed by Linda bringing in Bea. "Thank you, Miss Miles. Smith, come in. You don't have Doyle with you?

"Not unless she's wearing her invisibility cloak," Linda muttered back.

"Go and find her." Vera ignored the sarcastic comment. "Bring her here immediately."

Bridget was the one who broke the silence. "Bea. Hi, I'm Bridget Westfall. I'm the new Forensic Psychologist. It's nice to meet you." She extended her hand for Bea to shake.

Bea was slightly taken aback. Anyone who wasn't a screw who entered the prison looked at the women like they were pure scum but this petite blonde woman was smiling genuinley, wanting to actually shake her hand. "It's uh, nice to meet you, Miss Westfall." She took the offered hand and shook it. 

"Where's Franky?" Vera asked Bea. 

"Last I saw she her, she was going for a training sesh with Mr J," Bea offered up with a shrug. They both had secret set defence sessions with Mr Jackson whenever there was free time on his roster. Since the drug supply had been stopped, they both wanted to be able to defend themselves as best they could, so the Governor had allowed him to train the both of them, only under the circumstance that no one out of H1 knew about it.

They both waited patiently while Vera radioded Will; he gave confirmation that he'd last saw Franky half an hour ago and she was headed for the showers. Just as she was about to radio Linda, the door knocked and in sauntered Franky, hair still wet and fresh out the shower.

"You're late, Doyle," Vera glared, awaiting an explanation.

Franky shrugged. "Maybe you two are just early," she shot back instantly.

Vera could only roll her eyes, Franky Doyle had a mouth like a rattlesnake; it would bite at you before you even had a chance to breathe.

"You need your eyesight checked?" Bea asked, then tilted her head to the blonde standing to her right.

Franky took a step forward, her original stance next to Bea blocked the stranger from her view. She was blonde, had high heeled boots on but without them Franky guessed she couldn't be more than 5'3. Her outfit and hair were put together perfectly, nothing was even an inch out of place. She had minimal make up on her face but a little more around her eyes which only made the pure blueness stand out...and they were staring right at her. There was a slight half smile playing on her lips. Then she was walking towards Franky, she wanted to swallow heavily, she felt nervous, but instead she squared her shoulders, her frame reaching its full height.

"You must be Franky." Bridget outstretched her hand, just as she had for Bea. Except she hadn't looked at Bea the same way she was looking at Franky. Franky Doyle was not what she had been expecting. The brunette was tall, tanned and toned all over. The tank top she was wearing revealed a half sleeve tattoo on her arm, along with another two she could see. Her eyes were a vibrant green, the kind that Bridget would imagine you'd notice in a crowd. In fact, all of Franky seemed to stand out. She was fresh out the shower and her skin was flawless, her top lip was pulling her bottom lip between sparking white teeth. She could vaguely smell the shampoo Franky had just used... lavender. She internally shook her head. Never in twenty years had she looked at a prisoner the way she had just looked at Franky Doyle.

Franky smirked, her head tilting a little to the side. "Who's asking?"

By this point, Franky was full on smiling and Bridget couldn't look away. Her teeth were, in fact, perfect and the dimples on her cheeks could stand out from a mile away. Her eyes seemed to lighten as she smiled. Bridget was about to drop her hand, guessing Franky wasn't going to accept her handshake like Bea had but Franky had grasped her hand just before it dropped. She was soft, gentle even the way she held Bridget's hand. Bea's was a lot more firm and to the point. Franky's was the opposite.

"Bridget Westfall," the blonde answered.

Franky liked the sound of her voice. it was slightly husky, yet had a completely soothing tone to it. "And I'm guessing by the way you're dressed that you're not a new inmate."

Bridget laughed at this and surprisingly so did Vera. "I am not. Im the new Forensic Psychologist."

At this, Franky's face dropped and any hint of a previous smile was gone. She dropped Bridget's hand and moved back to stand next to Bea. "You're the new shrink?"

Bridget had to stop herself from flinching, Franky's voice was filled with nothing but horror and disgust. "I don't use the term shrink, Franky. Psychologist is the preferred term. Now, Vera had some things she wanted to talk to you both about." She changed the subject as quickly as possible and sat down.

Vera motioned to the large circular table for all of them to sit down. "I know hearing that Ferguson has been remanded here was a shock to all of us but I'm afraid its gotten worse." 

Franky let out a disgruntled laugh and looked at Bea. "She's gonna be released back into general." They had both spoke about it, Franky using her knowledge of the law to explain to Bea what kind of case Ferguson would make.

And clearly she'd made it perfectly.

"How...how did you know that?" Vera asked in shock. The only people who knew that information were herself, Will, Channing, and Bridget. 

"She's got money, we all know that; she'll be paying for the best lawyers in the state. She knows the system and how to get around it better than anyone," Franky explained with a shake of her head. "She'll be claiming a breach of human rights and as soon as that's mentioned...she's out of protection. And every single one of us that plotted against her is fucked."

Bridget was confused, "Who plotted against her?"

Vera sighed. "Ill show you the reports but basically too many suspicious things were happening when she was Governor. The prisoners never liked her and little by little she started to lose support of the staff. She put Franky and Bea against each other when it was just Franky as top dog, she fed them both lies; that they were both plotting to kill the other, which wasn't true. This caused a massive fight between the two of them where they beat the living daylights out of each other. Both of them had the women's support so she wanted them both gone...she wanted them to kill each other, it was only when they had shivs pointed at each others throats and another prisoner intervened that they realised they'd both been played. Myself and Will had found evidence suggesting she was behind a stalking campaign against him, that she'd had her hitman kill Smith's husband and frame Will, she tried to have one of our officers killed by having the hitman run him over with a van. There's so much but it all came to head when an inmate who had been abused by Ferguson came forward with the claims. On the day of the hearing, Smith was attacked by her hitman and he drugged her which made it look like she had a mental breakdown; the hearing couldn't go ahead. She was getting away with every single thing but we knew she'd go after Jodie incase she came forward again so she was forced into the psych unit. A prisoner kidnapped a baby from medical and Ferguson found Warner with the baby and we suspect she killed her; Ferguson, however is claiming Warner died in a deliberate fire she'd set to cover up whatever she did to the body. That's why H block had to be housed off site for four months.

Bridget was silent for a few moments, taking it all in. "So what's her defence?"

"That she simply saved the baby and the other accusations are ludicrous," Vera answered with a roll of her eyes. "Her hitman is staying quiet as well but Smith identified him from a sketch, which then prompted the officer he ran over to recognise him."

"Fuckin' told you I'd never get out of here because of that freak," Franky grumbled, her elbows leaning on the table as her hands fell into her head. "I'm gonna die in this shit hole."

Bridget felt her face drop. "How long before you can apply for parole?" 

"Six months," Franky answered bluntly. She didn't bother to look up, her hands just kept picking at the laces of her trainers. 

"Six months isn't that long," Bridget said softly. 

Franky looked up, her entire face scrutinizing the blonde woman in front of her. "Don't patronise me." 

"Calm down," Bea assured lightly. "When will we know for sure if she's going into General?" 

"Mr. Channing said he'd call me by 5pm, the board will be in a meeting right now, " Vera answered, her eyes hesitantly looking at Bridget for support. "I thnk we all need to be realistic though and accept that it is going to happen. Franky, you know the law extremely well so I'm guessing you've both been prepared for this. Joan Ferguson will be released into General at some point tomorrow." She nodded towards Bridget. 

Bridget could sense Vera's uneasiness and that most of it was Franky related as she kept glancing uneasily at the brunette. Bea seemed to be the more easy going one of the two whereas Franky seemed to be the type to argue with an empty room. "Vera and I have agreed that a counselling session for you both would be beneficial, especially after hearing this news. We're gonna set that up for tomorrow."

Franky barked out a laugh and that mischievous grin was back on her face. "Fuck that." She looked at Vera, her dark eyebrows drawn together in annoyance. "I wasn't the one that advocated for this shrink; that was you two. I didn't oppose but I told you I wanted nothing to do with shrinks or psychs or whatever the fuck they wanna be called. I told you I wasn't doing therapy and you agreed. The three of us sat down and we all made agreements and deals and you told me I didn't have to do any of this shit. You can't take that back now, that's complete bullshit and you know it."

"Franky, it's just an hours session. That's it," Bridget tried to reason, but Franky was already shaking her head. 

"Look, you were brought here because there's tonnes of women in here that need your help... so maybe try and do your job and help them. Stop wasting your time with me." Franky shoulders were tense, her jaw was set. 

Bridget raised a challenging eyebrow. Franky Doyle was going to be a tough one to crack...but Bridget loved a challenge. "I am doing my job. Look, I'm guessing that smart mouth of yours gets you out of a lot of things but it's not gonna get you out of this. You've just said you're going to die in here so clearly you have some worry and anxiety about Joan Ferguson coming into general." Just as Franky began to argue, Bridget cut her straight off. "It's non negotiable, so be at my office tomorrow at 2pm. And try and bring a change of attitude."

Franky stood from the table, her hands holding her body weight as she stared intensely at the blonde woman across from her. Blue eyes were caught on green, neither refusing to shift. After at least a minute of a cold stare off, Franky mumbled a quiet "fuck this" before she made her way to the door and let herself out without looking back. 

"Holy shit," Bea laughed out huskily. "I think you're the only person that's ever been able to shut her up." 

"She would usually argue with anyone until the sun came up," Vera agreed in bewilderment. 

Bea wasn't ecstatic about the counselling session either but it was an hour and they'd mainly be talking about Ferguson; she'd deal with it. She spoke with Vera and Bridget for another few minutes before she was free to go. 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Now, just be prepared," Vera warned as they made their way to the entry of the exercise yard. 

"Prepared?" Bridget questioned in confusion. Vera knew she'd worked in corrections for twenty years so she didn't exactly know what she was supposed to be prepared for. 

Vera nodded to the group of women on one of the benches. Luckily they hadn't noticed the new toy that had appeared with their Governor. "The one in the middle is Lucy Gambaro, also known as "Juice." I spoke to you about her and her crew earlier."

"Yes, I remember." Lucy Gambaro and her "boys" were sexual predators that preyed on the most vulnerable women in the prison. Inadvertently, Bridget's eyes scanned the exercise yard for Franky. She spotted the brunette inside one of the exercise pens with Bea and some other women. 

Vera swiped them both into the outdoor unit and as expected, wolf whistles and cheers erupted from several of the women, the loudest being Juice's table who were all looking at Bridget like she was a piece of meat. 

"Hey, Governor," Juice yelled out. "You could have warned me I had a conjugal coming up and I wouldve gotten myself ready." Those dark, penetrating eyes raked up and down Bridget's body. "She's just my type ay, boys. Blondes have more fun...especially when they're with Juice."

"Language, Gambaro, or I'll slot you," Vera warned harshly. "This is Miss Westfall, she is the new psychologist." 

Stella looked up from her deck of cards. "Does that mean you can like fix the pain in my back cause that doctor won't don't fuck all about it." 

"I'm sorry, I'm not a medical doctor. I'm a psychologist," Bridget reconfirmed but the blonde woman who was sat down just looked even more confused. 

"Yeah, so you do like massages on people, right? People with bad backs and stuff?" Stella said dumbly, her mouth slightly open in confusion. 

"Jesus christ," Vera mumbled out, only loud enough that her and Bridget could hear. "Stella, that's a physiotherapist you're talking about. Bridget is a psychologist, which means she's like a counsellor or a therapist."

Stella just huffed in annoyance. "Why didn't you just like say that to began with, ay?" 

"Okay," Vera sighed out with a roll of her eyes. She ushered Bridget away from the table. 

"Hey, Miss Westfall," Juice called out, causing the psychologist to turn around. "I'd you ever to decide to start doing massages, I'll be first in line." She licked her lips suggestively, much to the amusement of the rest of the group. 

Bridget placed a hand on Vera's arm, mumbling a quick "I can handle it, don't worry." 

"Right, let me introduce you to some people who can actually hold a conversation. These are all the girls in H1." Vera led them both through to one of the small work out blocks. Inside it was Bea, Franky, Maxine, Boomer, and Liz. "Ladies," Vera smiled and motioned to the woman beside her. "This is Miss Westfall. She is your new psychologist." 

Maxine was first to greet her with a warm handshake. "So nice to meet you, Miss Westfall." 

Bridget smiled genuinely. The woman was so polite and welcoming. "It's nice to meet you, too, Maxine. But please, can everyone call me Bridget. I'm not an officer so Bridget is perfectly fine." Liz was next to introduce herself and she was just as welcoming and polite as Maxine. Vera informed her Liz was the prisons peer worker. Next up was Boomer whose first name was Sue but she refused to answer to it so she was Boomer instead. She was more quiet and reserved than Maxine and Liz but polite enough. As soon as she'd finished saying hello, Boomer went back to help Franky who was currently bench pressing what looked like a large amount for her slim frame. 

From where Bridget stood, she could see Frankys tank top had ridden up revealing the start of a very toned stomach and the bottom of another tattoo. She wondered how many Franky had all together. A loud crash of the weight Franky was lifting snapped and a loud yell of pain startled her from her thoughts. Boomer had caught it just in time and dropped it to the side away from Franky and anyone else. 

"What the fuck did you do?" Bea questioned as she tentatively helped Franky sit up. Bridget noticed Franky was holding her wrist but as usual her jaw was firmly set, clearly trying to show no pain. 

Franky tried not to grimace but her wrist was causing her some pain. "Nothin, it just slipped." 

Like Bridget, Bea clearly didn't believe the story and checked the weight on the dumbells. "Franky, what the fuck? You've added on twenty kilos from yesterday."

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have broke my fuckin wrist," Franky snapped out in annoyance. 

"You slashed my forehead," Bea bit back. "Let me see it." She tried to take Franky's wrist but the brunette shrugged her off and stood up.

Franky waved her off but no one missed the grimace as she moved her wrist. "Right, Doyle," Vera motioned to the gate. "Medical now. I want that wrist checked right now." 

"Nuh," Franky shrugged cockily. "I'm all good."

"Franky, you broke that wrist and barely gave it time to heal. You had a work out session with Mr Jackson today and you're working out now. It's over exertion; you haven't gave your wrist any time to heal." Vera held the door open. It took for Bea to practically drag Franky to the door until the brunette huffed out and accepted her fate. 

Letting herself out of the exercise yard, she flexed her right hand tightly and flinched immediately. Vera was right, she hadn't given the injury enough time to heal. Just as she entered the building, the clicks of high heels were coming from directly behind her. Franky rolled her eyes. "Are you two stalkin' me now?" 

"Do you honestly think I trust you to go to medical unsupervised?" Vera raised a questioning eyebrow while Bridget just watched the two of them interact. "You'd go straight back to your unit." Vera's radio went off; it was Will saying he had Mr Channing at her office. "Go to medical, Franky. As soon as I get to my office, I'm sending Mr Jackson to make sure you're there."

They both watched Franky swagger off down the hallway, Bridget couldn't help but notice almost every woman she passed looked her up and down. Something about that just... turned her stomach. 

"I'm so sorry, Bridget," Vera apologised and began to make her way towards her office. "It'll be about Ferguson. God, I'm dreading it already. Will you be okay?" 

"Of course," Bridget smiled, continuing to walk alongside Vera; their offices were on the same floor. "I'm gonna go to my office and read over Franky and Bea's file for tomorrow." 

"Bridget," Vera said softly with a sigh. "Franky's file isn't easy to read. I know you're experienced with these sorts of things... but it's not something you can read easily. She got dealt a bad card and she's had a pretty horrific life." She watched Bridget nod before heading towards her own office for the verdict. "I'm gonna call a staff meeting once I know for sure so I'll see you in a little while."

Bridget could only manage a stiff nod. She was curious, extremely curious as to what kind of life Franky had up until Wentworth. But she had another idea first to try and get on the brunette's good side before their session tomorrow. She barely remembered the way but got to the Medical Wing without any wrong turns. The door was slightly open but the curtain was closed. She was about to knock when she heard a flirtatious giggle come from behind the curtain. That wasn't Franky. 

"Y'know sometimes I think you use this wrist injury as an excuse to spend time with me," Nurse Radcliffe said with a smirk. 

Franky smiled in return. "Well, can you blame me? What else am I supposed to look at around here?" 

"How many times have I told you I like men?" the nurse fired back. But Bridget noticed there was no warning in her tone, it was all flirtatious. 

Franky tilted her head. "How many times have I told you that I like a challenge? And blondes are my favourite... especially those in uniform." 

Bridget heard what sounded to be a hand lightly slapping a body part. "You are such a bloody flirt," the nurse teased. 

Franky tutted. "Don't pretend you don't like it. You and I both know I'm your favourite patient." 

"Well, you do actually make the day less boring," Lee admitted. 

"Ah, so you do enjoy flirting with women?" Franky teased. 

"You're the only woman I flirt with," Lee said quietly, her voice filled with complete seduction. 

Bridget couldn't listen anymore. She left the Medical Wing immediately and made her way back to her office. Was Franky having an inappropriate relationship with whoever was behind that curtain or was she just a serial flirt? She needed a distraction and immediately made herself a coffee before reading her way through Bea Smith's file. 

_Suspected domestic abuse/sexual assault suffered from husband but was denied by prisoner._

_Prisoner was caught smuggling drugs during visit in her first week._

_Prisoners daughter died resulting in severe depressive episode. Sedation was required round the clock._

_Prisoner slashed own wrists to avoid cuffing._

_Prisoner had blood clotting medication in her system to stop from bleeding out; indicating the incident to escape had been pre meditated._

_Prisoner had a gun sent gun to Elizabeth Birdsworth's bedsit three days before escaping._

_Prisoner shot unarmed victim resulting in life without parole._

Bridget read all of the notes but highlighted the key points. It wasn't something she could bring up tomorrow but by the look of Bea Smith's file, she'd had a far from easy life. The one thing that kept her going - her daughter - had been likely murdered and taken away from her. Luckily there were no mentions of attempted suicide, Bridget noted. She spent another hour or so reading over Bea's file from top to bottom before moving on to Franky's.

Franky's file was significantly larger than Bea's and although Bea was a convicted murderer, she didn't have a lot in her file regarding her actual prison life. Bea didn't seem like a trouble maker, Bridget thought. She knew the red head probably had every intention of getting her sentence done and then getting out, but then her daughter died and she'd became a lifer. Bea's situation had drastically changed. 

Vera still hadn't called her for the staff meeting regarding Joan Ferguson. She was curious, more than actually. She wanted to read every inch of Franky's file but didn't want to start and then get dragged away unable to finish. Sighing, her curiosity got the better of her and she flipped the page. Frankys picture was staring back at her, those green eyes boring into her own like the brunette was standing directly in front of her. She looked at the birth date; Franky was only 28, 12 years younger than herself. 

Franky was a taurus; that suited her personality perfect. Hesitantly, she turned the next page. Unlike Bea, Franky's file started at the beginning with childhood documents and it looked like a lot of them. "Fuck," she whispered silently as she began to read. 

_Father left when child was 10 years old. Taken into Foster care at aged 12. Teacher noticed bruising round the child's neck area, consistent with choking. Police and social services were informed and after doctors review, it was clear the child was abused by the mother. The mother was under the influence of heroin and alcohol when arrested._

_Doctors guessed from past injuries that it had started when the child was around four years old._

_Scarring/burns on abdomen area significant with cigarette burns._

_Several fractured bones that hadn't healed correctly._

_Child blames falling down the stairs and playing on her scooter. Firmly denied mother's involvement. Became increasingly distressed and begged interviewers not to tell her mother they had found other injuries and it was her own fault._

_Severe brushing on right cheek, consistent with being punched or hit with firm object._

_Scarring on scalp, consistent with hair being pulled out with force._

Bridget slammed the file shut, her hand coming to her mouth to block the wave of sickness that was churning in her stomach. She'd read worse, so she couldn't understand why this specific prisoner was affecting her so much. Luckily there were no signs of sexual assault. Just as she went to open the file again, her radio went off. Vera was requesting all staff in fifteen minutes report to the staff room. Bridget could only groan in frustration. 

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

As suspected, every officer was furious. Once Vera had explained Ferguson had won her case to be released back into general, she'd expected them all to start throwing things at her. She'd explained repeatedly it was out of her control and her meeting with Channing hadn't gone great, he had basically stated he didn't care if she was dead within five minutes. 

"Right, I've got some good news if you'll all calm down." Vera waited patiently for the murmurs to die down. "Ferguson needs an officer stationed with her at all times and luckily there's room in the budget for another officer so next week, Sean Brody will be transferring from Walford." She didn't miss the way Jake's eyes shot up in disbelief upon hearing the name. "I'm putting her in H3 with the newer girls as they won't know her as their previous governor so hopefully they won't want to kill her the second she steps through the door."

"Hopefully they do," Linda grunted out. 

"There's no space in H3, the units full," Will informed. "The only H unit with space is H1 and that's the last place she'll be going."

Vera nodded. "I realise that so I'm moving one of Proctors crew into H1. I've decided on Allie Novak; she's a former user and with Smith and Doyle in the unit, there's less chance of her relapsing. And she's still close enough to Kaz and her _gang_ to not feel completely shut out from them. Plus Liz and Maxine will make her feel at home." 

With a few more murmurings, especially from, Linda, Vera announced the end of the meeting. Everyone left the room apart from Bridget and Vera. The blonde woman shot the Governor a sympathetic smile. "How are you feeling?" Bridget asked. 

Vera only shook her head. "She is going to cause hell in this prison. You have no idea the things she is capable of." 

"Vera, you know what you're doing," Bridget offered up. "Will knows what he's doing. Obviously the women all hate her. Franky and Bea have everyone on their sides and you have them on your side so try not to think of the worst before it actually happens." 

"It will happen though... I just don't know to which one of us," Vera said sadly. It wasn't just herself she had to worry about now; she had to think of her baby. The baby she'd almost aborted and hadn't told a soul about. The baby whose father had helped Joan Ferguson for months. God, the thought almost made her sick. "Are you heading home? It's been a long day."

Bridget pondered for a minute. She knew she couldn't go home and not think about the rest of what was in Franky's file, it would drive her crazy all night. "No. I'm uh, I'm gonna stay and finish reading Bea and Franky's files before tomorrow. I don't like doing sessions without reading their files first." 

"Bridget, could you do something for me?" Vera asked. And Bridget noticed she had her hand fidgeting at her mouth, something she seemed to do when she was nervous or apprehensive. Bridget nodded. "Could you please assess Joan Fergusons readiness for general tomorrow? I know it's short notice but I have no idea how the hell she was released from that psychiatric unit and I'd really like your insight."

"Of course," Bridget confirmed. She placed a comforting hand on Vera's nervous shoulder. "This is my job Vera, please don't feel nervous asking me to do things like this...even if it is at short notice. It's still my job." 

Shaking her head, Vera spoke, "Its not just that and trust me when I say that I am no way questioning your abilities... but this woman is unlike anyone I've ever met and I've worked here for seven years; I've seen it all. She will psych you out, she will make you question every single thing about yourself. She is terrifyingly manipulative and I don't want her to get inside your head because trust me, she will try her hardest."

"Vera, I understand this woman has caused you and so many other people over a year of hell but please don't worry about me. I'll do her evaluation tomorrow and read her report in the morning," Bridget explained as they both got up to leave the staff room. "I'm gonna head back to my office and finish reading those files. Try not to worry about tomorrow. It's one person against an army by the looks of it. 

Vera nodded curtly, a tight smile on her lips. "Thank you, Bridget. Try not to stay too late. Goodnight." 

"Goodnight, Vera," Bridget replied back before turning and heading towards her office. She'd been walking for around a minute when she realised this part of the prison didn't look familiar. Will had given her a whole tour but this part wasn't near her office. She sighed, the place was huge, probably one of the biggest prisons she'd worked in. The corridors wear early quiet, no one was around. 

Before she could register what was happening, an arm had came across her chest from behind, a hand covering her mouth to prevent her from screaming. She was pressed into a wall, albeit surprisingly gently, she felt the attackers hand slip the radio from her hip.

And then she was let go, the body that had been against her had left. She was left breathing heavily against the wall, affraid to turn around. Her blue eyes braced themselves right before she turned around, she begged for it to not be Lucy Gambaro and her crew. Gang raped on her second day, that wouldnt be the best start. When she turned round, the last face Bridget expected to see was stood before her, twirling her radio in her hand like it was a toy. Before she could speak, the other woman had already spoken. 

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Franky spat out, her hands pointing at the heaps of empty space around them. 

Bridget swallowed heavily, though, somehow, she wasnt scared. "Why did you just grab me and take my radio?!" she spat back. "I get you dont like shrinks but getting me alone, what are you gonna do? Beat the shit out of me? Rape me?" 

For a split second, Frankys eyes softened. Bridget didn't miss it. "You think I'd do that to you? Because everyone in prison is capable of fucking raping other women, is that what you're saying?" Her voice was pure venom and those green eyes had darkened again in anger. 

"You're in a fucking blind spot, you know that?" Franky pointed to the ceilings, noting the lack of cameras. "There's several of them in here and if you're dumb enough to walk alone in them then you're likely to get gang raped. Juice knows every single blind spot; that's how she does what she does. Do you think if she were here, you'd be having a nice little conversation about the weather outside? No! She'd have you up against a wall, forcing herself..." Franky cut herself off, her hand covering her mouth as she felt a rush of sickness come over her at the thought of what would have happened if Juice turned the corner and not herself. 

Bridget took a step forward." Are you okay?" She tried to reach out and touch Franky's shoulder but the brunette was too quick and took several steps back. 

"You don't ever walk around yourself at this time!" Franky warned sternly. She avoided looking at the blonde, something about the woman did something to her and she didn't like it. "Most people are in their units or the showers, nobody goes for a leisurely walk around this time which means the corridors are mainly empty." She stepped forward, her hand reached out with Bridget's radio in it, offering it back. 

Bridget took a step forward, her hand gently taking the radio from Franky's hand. "For the record, I don't think any of those things about you." 

Franky just shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I'm still a prisoner, still a piece of shit; doesn't matter if I'd attack someone unprovoked or not." 

Bridget felt her heart break. "You're not a piece of shit! You could've attacked me there and you didn't. You.. helped me," she added softly. 

"Yeah, well, Franky stammered off quietly. She felt awkward now. The blondes soft smile was breaking though the invisible armour she had to wear at all times. "I'll lead you back to your office, just walk a few steps behind me and don't say anything." She began to walk in the direction of Bridget's office. After several left and right turns, she was at the elevator. "Don't take the stairs, just incase. Prisoners don't have access to the elevator so you're fine." 

Bridget watched the younger brunette duck her head slightly before walking away. "Wait," she called out, causing Franky to turn around. 

"You're gonna walk by yourself?" Bridget was aware of how timid her voice was but she couldn't help it. What if Franky ended up getting attacked?

Franky smiled with a sarcastic laugh. "I told you I was gonna die in here. It's gonna happen sooner or later."

Without being able to stop herself, Bridget had stepped away from the elevator and towards Franky, whose green eyes were tracing her every move. "Why do you keep saying that?" she hissed out angrily. "You've got six months left, you'll be out of here soon." 

"People are after me," Franky admitted, though there was no look of fear on her face. "I stopped the drug ring by teaming up with Bea and now every junkie in the place wants to kill me." 

"So why the fuck are you walking about alone at night?" Bridget alarmingly asked. "I'm gonna radio for an officer and have them take you to your unit." 

Franky's hand had grasped Bridget's wrist before she could reach for her radio. "I'm one of the fucking top dogs, I can't have screws escorting me around like a fucking child. I made a decision and I have to live with it." 

The words didn't make Bridget feel better but she nodded anyway. "Go now, while it's quiet."

"Thats cute," Franky smiled, her dimples properly reaching her cheeks. "Ya worrying about me." She was walking backwards but the smirk was still evident on her face. 

Bridget laughed, her head shaking slightly. "Go. Now. Hurry up." 

"Oooh feisty," Franky bit back, only this time she saw a hint of a smile on Bridget's face. 

"Don't forget that session tomorrow," Bridget warned, her eyebrows raised daringly. 

Franky casually leaned sideways against the stairwell in a way that made her look effortlessly cool. "I'll see if I can fit you in, Gidget."

"Its Bridget," the blonde reminded huskily. 

Franky just continued to smile. "I prefer Gidget."

And then she was gone as Bridget watched her effortlessly take the stairs two at a time with minimal effort. She made her way into the elevator and puffed out a breathe she didn't even realise she was holding. She'd gone from thinking she was about to be attacked to having Franky Doyle of all people walk her back to safety. The elevator dinged and she safely made her way towards her office. It was impossible to read Franky; she could go from fuming to flirty to protective in a flash. What else in that file had made Franky turn out to be filled with so much anger? 

Just at Bridget sat at her desk, finally ready to continue reading the file that had occupied her mind most of the day, the prisons alarm rang out. 

_ATTENTION COMPOUND! THIS IS A CODE BLACK, ALL PRISONERS REPORT TO THEIR UNITS IMMEDIATELY!_

The announcement continued to ring out. Bridget wracked her brain to remember what the codes Will told her about yesterday. Code black, she murmured to herself several times before her blood ran cold. 

Code Black was a prisoner attack. 


	2. First Time

Bridget prized herself on her outfits, it was her one thing that she knew was slightly "snobby" but she liked to wear nice clothes and nice shoes/heels, but she was currently cursing herself and her heels as she ran as fast as she could in them to the Medical Unit. She prayed that it wasn't Franky but she'd had a knot in her stomach ever since the alarm had rung out. Franky wasn't in her unit and she'd said herself people were after her.

Once she'd arrived at the door to Medical... Will and Jake, and who she guessed was the nurse Franky had been flirting with earlier, were blocking her view. She swallowed and stepped inside. "What happened?" 

Will turned around and in doing so revealed the patient curled up on their side, their left hand gripping the bars of the hospital bed to the point their knuckles had turned white. 

Franky. 

Linda Miles was turning the corner, about to lead several prisoners passed the Medical Unit. Bridget quickly shut the door behind her and stepped inside so no one was able to see. Franky's face was covered in blood, her jaw was severely swollen and turning into a bruise already and it looked like most of the blood was coming from a burst nose and her lip. She was struggling to look, struggling not to throw up. 

An announcement came over the prison, assistance needed in H block. "They've obviously worked out who it is," Will muttered. He tried to be discreet by giving Franky's shoulder a gentle squeeze but Bridget didn't miss it. He clearly cared about the prisoner judging by the solemn, defeated look on his face, even after what Bridget had found out yesterday. "Jake, go and help Linda get the women back to their units. Vera's literally just left to go and do her paperwork at home and the night shift haven't started yet." Jake nodded and made his way out the Unit, curtly nodding his head at Bridget as he passed.

"What happened?" Bridget whispered as Will came towards her. 

Will shook his head. "She was attacked, won't say who it was, but I know it's Mercardo's crowd. They've been after her ever since she cut the drug supply and sided with Bea. This is the third time this has happened and every single fucking time I'm not there to protect her!" 

"Hey hey," Bridget soothed. "Will, you can't watch her at all times and even if you could, I doubt she'd let you. Where did it happen?" 

"She was coming back from the library." The announcement was still ringing out for assistance in H block. "Look, I need to go and sort them out. Bea and Boomer will be going crazy. Can you please stay with her until I'm back? We're waiting on the doctor; she needs an ultrasound to check for internal bleeding. Her stomach is are a mess. They've kicked the living shit out her. I don't have any officers that can stay with her." Again, his face started to get slightly emotional. 

Bridget opened the door for him. "I'll stay with her. You go," she assured. He nodded in thanks and headed off down the hall, leaving just the three of them in the room. The nurse was in the drawers gathering badges and cleaning solutions. 

Tentatively, Bridget made her way towards the side of the bed Franky was facing. Once she saw the amount of blood up close on the brunettes face, her blue eyes immediately diverted. 

"That bad, ay?" Franky grunted out, her face instantly turning into a wince as she spoke.

"Shhh, try not to speak if it hurts." Why did she struggle with this one prisoner so much, she asked herself internally. 

Franky tried to reach for the water on the little table beside her, but dropped her arm immediately. Bridget gently took her wrist and laid it back down beside her before lifting the cup to the brunettes mouth. Franky took a small sip and grimaced. 

"What? Are you okay?" Bridget asked alarmingly. She quickly took the cup and sat it back down.

"Tastes like blood. My lip," Franky answered. She needed something for the pain. Her entire midsection and her head were killing her. 

It wasn't Bridget's place, she knew that, but she couldn't help herself. "Are you gonna clean her face? Her lip's practically seeping blood into her mouth." 

The nurse turned around and dragged her trolley to the bed, not before firmly drawing her eyes off Bridget.

Bridget looked at the contents of the trolley and had to bite her lip from saying something else; there were about six items on the trolley and it had taken all this time. For the next ten minutes, Bridget stood by the bed as the nurse cleaned up Franky's face. Once the blood was gone, it didn't look as bad as she'd thought. Her jaw was quickly turning into a bruise, she had a little butterfly stitch on her bottom lip and two on the bridge of her nose. She still hadn't been offered anything for the pain and Bridget knew she'd be too stubborn to ask, so she did it for her, "Can you give her something for the pain?" She half expected the brunette to snap her head off but instead she was given a lazy half smile.

Those green eyes were looking at her, a look Bridget hadn't seen before. Franky's gaze was intense but it was also soft and gentle. Their hands were both next to each other on the steel rail of the bed, they were so close Bridget didn't know if she had imagined Franky's thumb sitting so close to her own. She was too afraid to look down. "How long is the doctor going to be?" 

"If he's not here in five, I'll go get him." The nurse handed Franky the pill pocket. Bridget could only huff out in annoyance; Franky could barely move her body or reach her water and the nurse had just handed her the pills and walked back to her computer. 

"Here," Bridget said softly, taking the pills from Franky's already bandaged right hand. She lifted them to her mouth and then gave her the water to swallow it down with. 

Franky swallowed the pills and before she knew it, she could feel herself drifting to sleep. "Hey! Hey!" she heard Bridget's voice exclaim loudly causing her to startle back to reality. 

"What?" Franky muttered out. She felt a hand on her forehead and Bridget's soothing voice saying something else, but she was too comfortable to focus. Instead, she just leaned into the side of the bed where Bridget was standing. "Let me sleep." 

"You can't sleep," Bridget said loudly, and then reluctantly withdrew her hand. She noted Franky's forehead didn't feel too hot. "You've got a potential head injury; you need to wait till the doctor clears you until you can sleep."

On cue, the doctor entered. He was a male and looked around 50 years of age. He didn't introduce himself or say anything to either of them; he just went about setting up the portable ultrasound. He muttered several things to the nurse but that was all he said. Once he was done, he made his way over to the bed. Bridget could tell by the look on Franky's face she didn't trust the doctor. She was unconsciously leaning further towards the side of the bed where Bridget was stood, away from the doctor who was at the opposite side. 

"I need to do an ultrasound to check for any signs of internal bleeding," he said before fumbling with the machine. "Can you lift up your shirt for me?" 

Franky sat up like a flash, ignoring the pain that shot through her abdomen. "Why do you need to do that?" She wasn't comfortable showing her stomach area to anyone she didn't know. 

"To check for internal bleeding... like I just said," he repeated, though his tone had even less patience than before. 

Franky slammed the side of the metal rail down and dragged herself off the bed. "Nuh, I'm fine. I don't need that shit, so just check me for a head injury or whatever and let me go back to my unit."

The doctor huffed in annoyance. "I can't let you leave here without performing an ultrasound If you have internal bleeding, you could bleed to death by the morning." 

Struggling to stand, Franky leaned back against the wall, as well as attempting to distance herself from the doctor. "I'll take my chances; had plenty of beatings and never had internal bleeding. I'm all good, yeah? Just check my head and let me go." 

The doctor stood up. "Get back in the bed or I'll have to sedate you."

Franky's eyes went wide. Even Bridget looked quite shocked at how quickly he'd threatened a sedation. She could feel her heart speed up with panic. Any time she'd been sedated, it had given her vivid dreams of her mother burning her skin off. "You can't sedate me! I'm not at risk, I'm not threatening anyone!" 

Franky's voice was almost hysterical. How had this escalated so quickly, she wondered. She couldn't actually blame Franky, she didn't know if she'd trust this doctor either. He wasn't making the patient feel safe, he hadn't even said his name, and at the slight inconvenience he had threatened sedation of a stable patient; something Franky was clearly terrified of. 

"Right, I'm not wasting anymore time with this," he claimed and moved the chair out of his pathway. He pointed at Bridget, "You're gonna help me restrain her while Nurse Radcliffe administers the sedative."

Franky had backed herself into a corner, her forehead was lined with a sheen of sweat and she looked terrified. "You can't sedate me," she pleaded, and Bridget's heart almost broke as she heard her voice crack. 

The doctor attempted to round the bed but to get to Franky he'd have to move past Bridget. God, it was her second day and she knew she could get into serious shit for doing this but she couldn't let this happen. "You're not sedating her," Bridget said firmly. She had one hand on the wall and one on the bed rail, effectively blocking him from passing her. 

"She needs the ultrasound which means she needs sedated!" he argued back loudly. 

"And she'll get the ultrasound," Bridget raised her voice to the same volume as his. "Both of you get out. I want five minutes alone with her."

"Who even are you?" he questioned harshly. 

Bridget shook her head. "I'm a psychologist. And right now, you're severely stressing her out. So, both of you get out and I'll come and get you when she's ready." 

"You're a doctor; it's your job to make patients feel safe. It doesn't matter if they're prisoners or not, she deserves the same care and treatment as anyone else would get. You've not said one word to her, not even an introduction. If you took five seconds, you'd realise she's scared and in pain, and as soon as you mentioned sedation, she's panicked. She's clearly had a bad experience with it and you have absolutely no grounds to sedate her judging by how you've treated her." There was a heavy stare off between the two but Bridget's blue eyes didn't budge "Get. Out." She nodded towards the door and after about a minute he threw his hands up in a tantrum and they both left. "Jesus christ," she muttered to herself and ran a hand through her hair, which at this point in the day she was sure was wild. 

Franky was stuck to the wall, terrified to move. "Please don't let him sedate me," she begged, her green eyes brimming with tears. 

"He's not sedating you," Bridget said firmly, stepping towards Franky. She gently took her hands and helped her to sit back on the edge of the bed. "I know you've got scars," she said softly. This was a make or break, Franky would either fly off the handle and lose her shit or she'd actually trust her; there would be no inbetween here. "I don't have any and I have no idea how you feel so I'm not gonna sit her and bullshit you. But this ultrasound will take less than five minutes and I can guarantee you an arsehole like that wouldn't notice if you had Will Jacksons face tattooed on you." Franky gave a half laugh and her breathing started to return to normal. "He's obviously capable but trust me, he'll be in and out as quick as he can. I'll stay with you or I'll go, whatever makes you most comfortable." 

"I don't want you to see them; the tattoo didn't manage to cover them all," Franky admitted quietly, her voice the most vulnerable Bridget had heard it. "But I don't want to be left alone with them." 

Bridget patted the bed, suggesting for Franky to lay back down, which she timidly did. She sorted the cover on the bed and unzipped Franky's teal hoodie so the doctor would only need to touch her as much as absolutely necessary. "A few minutes and it's done, trust me."

"How do you know? You got kids or something?" Franky questioned, though she was really just fishing to see if Bridget had a family. She definetly picked up a lesbian vibe and usually she wasn't wrong. 

"No kids," Bridget confirmed. She noticed the slight smirk on Franky's face. "I had a cyst on my ovary so I had one a few years ago."

Franky's face had a look of worry on it. "But you're okay?" 

"Yes, I'm fine. Will I let them back in?" When Franky gave a shy nod, Bridget made her move to the door but a firm hand on her wrist stopped her. She turned around, Franky didn't say anything, she just looked plain terrified. God, she was swimming in dangerous waters but she couldn't stop herself from wrapping two of her hands around Franky's stronger left one. Franky's grip was death like. She couldn't imagine what every day life in here was like for Franky; she had just about every drug addict in the place gunning for her. Eventually, the grip on her hand died down and Bridget took that as a sign to go and get the doctor and nurse. 

They both returned and as Bridget suspected, he didn't even glance at her tattoo when he was doing the ultrasound. Bridget raised her eyebrows teasily, silently telling Franky "I told you so." Once he was done, he confirmed no signs of internal bleeding but severe bruising. He performed a head examination, again giving the all clear. By that point, the pain meds had kicked in and Bridget was positive Franky wasn't listening to a word he was saying. Bridget silently took notes of his instructions for the next week or so before he gathered his equipment and left the room, followed by the nurse. 

"At least you get a break from work unit for a few days," Bridget mused with a light smile. 

"Ugh, I don't want a break from work unit," Franky groaned out in frustration. "I can't work out or cook, that's literally the only two things I like doing in here. Apart from reading, so I'm basically gonna be reading solid for the next ten days." 

"Well," Bridget began. "You have to come back for daily check ups so you can flirt with the nurse for some enjoyment." She internally cursed herself. Why had she said that and why had she sounded like a jealous girlfriend when she did? 

Franky raised an eyebrow. "Who says I flirt with the nurse?" 

Caught. There was no point in denying it - she couldn't even if she wanted to. "I came to check on you earlier and overheard the two of you. If you're having an inappropriate relationship, I'd seriously-

"Wow," Franky interrupted with a laugh. "I am not fucking the nurse. Jesus christ, Gidge." Those blue eyes were still looking at her though, expecting an explanation. "Look, you might think you know what it's like in here but you don't. It's the same bullshit over and over, every single day. Some days it's like this where you get the shit kicked out of you. So, yeah, flirting with the nurse passes the day sometimes." She didn't know if it was the pain meds but for some reason she couldn't shut up. "She's not even my type. She's attractive I guess, in that kind of obvious way but the whole... face... make up thing. Not for me." 

"What is your type?" The words were out before Bridget could even stop herself. 

"Guess," Franky grinned. Yeah, she was definitely high on meds. For once in this place, she felt completely at ease just sitting here talking to Bridget. 

Bridget pondered it for a minute before asking. "Blonde, I'd say. You're brunette so you've got the whole lesbian blonde/brunette thing. I can't see you with a brunette."

"Who said I was a lesbian?" Franky teased. She had that devilish grin on her face again which made Bridget go beet red. 

"I'm sorry, I just assumed," Bridget apologised but Franky was already laughing, as much as her stomach could let her anyway. 

Franky rolled her eyes. "Obviously I am, jesus christ." Those blue eyes were sparkling back at her and she couldn't seem to wipe the grin off her face. "Right, keep going." 

With a groan, Bridget continued. "You're smart, so I think you'd need the other woman to be smart, you couldn't be with someone who didn't have at least a similar level of intelligence as you. You don't shut up when you're supposed to so you'd need someone to keep you in line, someone who wasn't scared to tell you to cut the bullshit." Her voice had became quieter as she'd continued to speak. "Honestly... I think you're scared of rejection so you'd need to know that they wouldn't leave you... no matter what happened." 

"I don't know if any of that's true," Franky admitted softly. "I've never had a proper relationship." 

The admission didn't surprise Bridget. "Then you won't know until you actually meet the right person then."

"I don't think anyone could love me," came the sad words. 

Bridget leaned her forearms on the metal bed railing. "Why would you say that?" 

Sad green eyes met with questioning blue. "Ferguson told me I had a black heart, that I'd clearly taken after my mother and than I'd either die in here or die alone because it was impossible to love someone like me." 

Bridget blew out a hot breath. "Franky, you know that woman is severely messed up. Nothing about that is true."

"Yes it is," Franky admitted. And Bridget noticed that edge was back to her voice. "I killed Will Jacksons wife." She tried to stop them but hot tears spilled down her face as her body shook. "I'm a murderer."

"Listen to me," Bridget began strongly. "It was an accident, you did not kill anyone on purpose. What happened that day was an accident. You were being chased by women who wanted to kill you, women who had just attacked you and tried to slice your chest open."

The tears were still coming but Franky was confused. "How... how do you know that?" Who had told Bridget? She'd only been here two days. 

"Will told me." Franky was about to cut in but Bridget immediately cut her off, her hand lightly grasping Franky's without realising what she was actually doing. "Will showed me around yesterday. We talked a lot, we got on really well. He asked me to do something for him... he asked me to try and talk to you because he needs you to forgive yourself. He said if he was in your position, he'd have done the same thing to try and protect himself. He's forgiven you, Franky. You just need to forgive yourself."

Franky couldn't speak, she was unable to form words. How could Mr Jackson treat her the way he did, almost like a friend, after what she'd done. There was a silence for a few minutes before Bridget broke it, "Will you come in and talk to me? Just one session." 

Shaking her head lightly, Franky spoke, "I don't do talking."

The only response, however, was a perfectly shaped raised eyebrow. "You've talked plenty with me just now. Only difference is that it'll be my office and not here."

Just then, Vera burst through the door to Medical followed by Will. "Franky," she sighed out sadly. Bridget took a step back and let the two officers stand either side, while she stood at the bottom of the bed. "Are you okay?" 

"I'm fine, yeah," Franky confirmed. She tried her best to sit up in the bed a little. "Don't ask me who did it, there's no point."

"I know who did it, I just need verbal confirmation," Vera admitted through gritted teeth. "What did the doctor say?" 

Franky just looked at Bridget, hoping the blonde was listening because she hadn't listened to a word that doctor had said. Luckily, she had been and told both Will and Vera his instructions for the next week or so. 

"You can go back to your unit," Will announced with a smile, while Bridget and Vera spoke on the other side of the room. 

Franky grinned. "I can?" 

Will nodded. "No head injury or internal bleeding so you're free to go. Plus, I think Vera wants to make the nurse actually gets off that computer at some point so she'll need to wake you up when your next pain meds are due."

"Thank god," Franky exclaimed, she tried to get her hoodie on but couldn't quite manage. Will, as always, was there to help her and gently brought it over her shoulders. "I'm sorry I used to cause you so much shit."

"What?" Will laughed. 

"I used to be a complete arsehole to both of you," Franky admitted and nodded towards Vera. "I caused you so much shit."

Will smiled tightly. "Prison does things to you, Franky. Especially when you and Jaqs were going at it. I honestly thought you were going to die at one point with her. You've changed a lot. And I was hardly the nicest guy at times for no reason." 

Franky nodded but noticed he was still smiling. "What, ya weirdo?" 

"You're off your face on pain meds," he laughed out causing Vera and Bridget to look over.

Vera just tightly smiled at the sight. "We need to talk about this tomorrow, Doyle. But get back to your unit and get some sleep; the nurse is gonna check in on you, so you won't get a full sleep."

Franky just shrugged. "I'll survive." She knew the last count had been and that there were no prisoners around so she didn't hesitate to lean herself into Will's side as his right arm supported her. "Thanks," she called out. Vera just nodded with a light smile before going back to Bridget but Franky kept her gaze on the blonde, hoping she got the double meaning. She kept Bridget's gaze for as long as she could before Will led her through the door.

Usually the walk would take around three minutes but it took them possibly double that. Will stopped every now and again when he got a sense she was struggling. When they arrived at H1, all the girls were sat at the table but were up like a shot when they saw Mr Jackson open the gate to let Franky in. 

"Aww thank fuck," Boomer exclaimed and as usual was the first to get to Franky. 

"Watch her ribs, Boomer," Will said the words as fast as he could before the bigger woman crushed Franky in two. 

There was some pain from the hug but Franky ignored it. "Ya been worried, ay?" They broke the hug and unsurprisingly Boomer was crying. Franky just took her cheeks and placed a firm kiss on one side. "I'm all good, Booms. Don't worry, yeah."

Bea was next to take her into a hug. At first when they started up the whole joint top dog thing, it was difficult to get them to agree to the time of day but now they were firmly best friends. "You good?" she whispered into Franky's ear. The brunette nodded in return, saying they'd discuss it tomorrow. Bea already knew who the culprits were, but Franky deserved some well deserved rest after her ordeal. Some people just couldn't take a telling, she thought.

"Right, ladies," Will announced as he headed back to the gate. "Keep an eye on her. The nurse will be doing checks throughout the night so she'll be fine."

"Hey, Mr J," Boomer called out when he was on the other side. "You could always like take one of the spare cells and like take care of us from the inside, ya know. Saves ya like always coming back and forth all the time."

He had to bite back a laugh but managed to keep his face neutral, it was probably the hardest to do around Boomer. "Somehow, I don't think thats gonna happen, Boomer." 

"Hey. Thanks Mr J," Franky called out. Will stopped and nodded with a smile. 

"Right, so like, was it Mercardo, cause if it was then some Asian tits are getting like, seriously, punched, the fuck in tomorrow," Boomer stated with a nod at Bea. 

Bea and Franky both shook their heads. "We're gonna sort it like we always do, Boomer. But we're not talking about it tonight," Bea stated firmly.

Maxine and Liz were hugging Franky as Boomer fired a hundred questions a minute at Bea. Liz announced she was going to make Franky a cup of tea, Bea quickly stated they'd all have one and offered Boomer up to help Liz. Maxine helped Franky down into a chair and was met with no resistance, Bea raised her eyebrows at Maxine, who mouthed "pain meds." Bea nodded and sat down, that made more sense; Franky would usually insist on doing everything for herself even after she'd been attacked. 

Something was going to change, Bea could feel it.

_____________________________________________________________

"How are you feeling?" Vera asked as she swiped them through to the Protection Unit.

Bridget could sense Vera was more nervous than she was. Realistically, she wasn't properly _assessing_ Ferguson for general; the board had already made their decision. All she was doing was having a chat to see how the prisoner was feeling. "I'm fine, Vera - honestly. I'm the same as you, I have no idea how she was released from that Psychiatric Facility. I tried to call and speak to the Doctor but only got his assistant, I asked her to make sure he calls me back because something isn't adding up here." She'd read the report...twice. And it was just completely _off_ , that was the only way Bridget could describe it. "I want you to take her cuffs off, if she's cuffed."

Vera tensed but knew in her gut to trust Bridget. And judging by everything Joan had said to her, the prisoner was confident her case would be flung out once she went to court and she'd be returning to Governor, so she wouldn't attack a member of staff with a see through window and a camera recording the full interview. "I'll keep them off." Vera nodded to the interview room just off to the right. "She's in there." She couldn't help but be on edge, no matter how much she trusted Bridget and her abilities. "Please be careful."

Smiling, Bridget nodded. "I'll be fine, trust me. Is she going straight out once we're done?"

"No.I'm holding her here till work unit starts and the place is a little quieter," Vera confirmed. "Will and Linda are moving Novak units right now to make room for her in H3. Proctor will no doubt be kicking off, so I'm going to go and check everything's going okay. I'll be ten minutes at most and then I'll be straight back."

"Vera," Bridget eased gently. "Go and do what you need to do. It's an informal chat so I doubt she's gonna say much."

Making her way towards the door, Vera swiped her card to enter, Bridget's arm on her shoulder caught her, however. "I've got it. Trust me."

Vera nodded and watched for a few seconds as Bridget rounded the table to stand opposite Ferguson. She sighed out stressfully and ordered the two officers in the small office to remain outside the room until Bridget exited, and that they were not to leave under any circumstance.

Bridget remained standing opposite Joan as she outstretched her hand and introduced herself, "Joan. Hi. I'm Bridget Westfall, I'm the new Forensic Psychologist."

Dark eyes looked the tiny blonde woman up and down before falling to the hand that was currently waiting to be shook. She fought off the agitation and promptly shook the woman's hand before discreetly rubbing her hands against her thighs in attempt to clean them as best she could.

The handshake was the first thing Bridget noticed; Joan had coiled as soon as their hands touched. She didn't miss the way her hands made their way under the table as soon as they'd made contact. OCD, Bridget mentally noted. 

"A psychologist?" Joan mused, her voice full of amusement. "There was no need for a psychologist when I was Governor. I'm sure you're more than capable, Bridget, but when I return, things will resume to normality and there will be no need for a psychologist in _my_ prison."

"It was an unanimous decision by the board to bring on board a psychologist," Bridget fired back, though she kept the polite smile on her face. "I think they were very impressed with Miss Bennett's initiative to do so, considering no Governor before her had suggested the idea." She waited for the response but only got that hardened stare instead. "I'm basically here today to see how you feel about returning to the general population. Do you have any worries or anxieties about being an inmate with women with whom you used to be in charge of?"

Joan was silent for a few seconds before answering simply, "Uhm, no." Bridget waited to see if there would be any elaboration...when there wasn't, she moved on.

"How have you adapted to coming into prison, Joan?"

"I don't plan on staying long," Ferguson answered confidently. "It has been...insightful, to say the least, to watch my former colleagues from a different point of view." 

"How's Franky?"

Bridget's blood ran cold. She had a million and one questions as to what Ferguson meant by that. Was it some sort of threat? Did she have prisoners watching? "You know I'm unable to discuss other prisoners, Joan."

Joan only tutted. "Such a shame she keeps finding herself in these...difficult positions. Every junkie wants their hands on her, it'll be a shame when they finally finish her off for good...especially knowing it would have been prevented if I was the one still in charge."

Bridget's knuckles were white under the table. How did this woman do what she managed to do? No wonder Vera was so paranoid. Joan was speaking again before she had the chance to ask her next question. "Now, Bridget...I usually don't like to engage much with people unless I know a little about them first, so how about a little question for question? A little quid pro quo."

"We're here to-"

"You've had some turns already, so I'll take mine now," Joan interrupted. She rolled down her sleeves and leaned her forearms on the table. "Do you live alone? Have you ever been raped? Have you ever been sexually attracted...to a prisoner?"

Shaking her head, Bridget's reply was simple, "I'm not answering any of your questions." She was cautiously aware that her cheeks might have gone slightly redder from anger or from...she didn't know exactly.

Joan only smirked. "You just did," she said triumphantly.

All of a sudden Vera appeared at the window before letting herself in.

"Ah, look," Joan sneered as she looked Vera up and down in disgust. "It's the _temporary_ Governor."

"I don't see the word _temporary_ on her Governor's badge," Bridget offered up.

Joan turned to look at her, the top of her upper lip twitched just enough for Bridget to notice. "Vera, I trust you've warned your new colleague here of your...condition. Purely for safety reasons, of course.

Vera had went pale but she managed to regain her confidence. "Prisoner Ferguson, I suggest you keep your mouth shut or your stay here might just been extended."

"Hepatitis," Joan smirked the words out.

"Oh, that," Bridget didn't falter. "She did actually tell me, but only because I told her that I'd contracted it once as well." She exaggerated a heavy cough. "Sometimes I still get the cough, it seems to worsen in enclosed spaces." She motioned her hands to the box room they were currently in. "Anyway, sit tight, Joan. Someone will take you back to your cell when they can. Bridget shut the door and as soon as they'd passed the window, Ferguson was already heavily knocking on the door, demanding to be let out of the "disgusting room."

Once they were free of the Protection Unit, Vera was the one who broke the comfortable silence. "You've never had Hepatitis, have you?" Bridget shook her head, smiling gently at the Governor. "Thank you for doing that. And for not judging me."

"Vera," Bridget sighed out gently. "I would never judge you or anyone over something like that. Listen, why don't you come over for dinner tonight? I've got a full day and a session in fifteen minutes, so I can fill you in on how _that_ went and we can talk."

Smiling gratefully and looking relieved, Vera accepted. Once Bridget had left for her session, she leaned against the wall behind her, her hand lightly touching the tiny bump she could feel but not yet see. Bridget had been more of a friend to her in these few days than some of these officers ever had been. She decided she'd tell Bridget tonight about being pregnant.

___________________________________________________________

"Maxi," Bea groaned out loudly around the sound of the shower. "I need ten minutes a day to myself in here or I'll go crazy." She popped her head out from behind the shower curtain to see her friend looking unconvinced.

"I just don't think any of us should be on our own, especially after what happened to Franky last night," Maxine defended back gently.

Bea sighed. "Look, if I'm not back in twenty minutes, you can come back. okay?" Maxine hesitantly nodded before slowly retreating and leaving Bea in the showers alone. No one seemed to come in if they knew either her or Franky were showering, or if they happened to not know and come in anyway, they'd immediately leave until the top dogs were done. It wasn't a rule they made but Bea didn't exactly mind it. She needed peace...quiet. And these days even five minutes of it was a rarity unless she was sleeping.

All of a sudden the door swung open again. Bea flung the shower curtain back...but it wasn't Maxine. It was Allie from Kaz'z crew; the one that seemed to stare a lot. They'd had no interaction other than when Allie came to their unit to set up a meeting with Kaz. But any time Bea glanced around the room, she would usually find Allie's gaze staring back at her.

Allie raised an eyebrow. "Not who you were expecting?"

Bea just swallowed nervously. Even though she was top dog, she still wasn't great at conversation with any of the women she didn't know...unless she was threatening them. "No, it's fine," was all she could manage to stammer out. She averted her eyes immediately as Allie started to undress in front of her without a hint of shyness whatsoever. Bea quickly slipped her head back inside the shower stall. Why did she feel so nervous? She'd seen Franky in her underwear more times than she could count and it didn't make her feel...weird like she did right now. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Allie slip into one of the stalls to her right, only two away from her. She shook her head and reached for the shampoo bottle and began to lather her hair.

The pep talk she was giving herself wasn't really working for her. She'd tried not to look but Bea Smith was naked and only two stalls away from her. When she looked up, Bea was washing those infamous red locks. In the past week, Allie had noticed the top dog had given herself an edgy undercut that ran up the sides to her ears. She didn't know how long she'd been looking to her left but the Bea's shower was now switched off and the stall empty. In a flash, her own shower curtain was forced aside revealing Bea in a rather short towel, still dripping from her shower.

"What the fuck is your problem...with the staring?" Bea hissed out.

Allie turned around slowly, her naked body fully revealing itself to Bea. She'd been a prostitute; she was hardly shy of being naked. "Nothin'. Just a bit surprised you're in here giving yourself a pamper sesh while Mercardo and her crew are walking about like they own the place after what they did to Franky last night. Thought you were the type to actually take a stand and stick up for your friends."

Bea couldn't help but laugh. "You think Mercardo and her crew are gonna get away with that? Not a fucking chance. And you think... what? That I'm gonna tell Kaz's bitch anything I've got planned." She smiled devilishly, but it only lasted a few seconds when she noticed the blonde's blue eyes were dragging themselves over her naked flesh. She grabbed Allie's cheeks harshly with one hand. "What the fuck did I say to you about the staring?"

To Allie's own surprise, she slapped Bea's hand away firmly. "What are you gonna do?" She took a few small steps forward and purposely dragged her eyes over Bea's chest area that wasn't hidden by the towel, just for the reaction. "Bash me for looking?"

Bea slammed the two of them into the shower wall behind them, her towel falling off in the process, but she was too angry to care. Her right forearm covered Allie's throat, while her left hand had Allie's right pinned harshly to the shower wall. She was too in the moment to notice a left hand had a firm grip on her naked hip.

Allie was panting harshly, the pressure on her throat was slightly uncomfortable but all she could focus on was Bea's entirely naked body pressed against her own. "Go on then," she whispered out. The water was spraying down on both of them, covering both their bodies.

Bea tightened her jaw. She wanted to tighten the grip on the blonde's throat but couldn't find it in herself to do it. Allie had the slightest of height advantages. All of a sudden Bea let out a choked breath as Allie manoeuvred so that their naked breasts were pressed together. Bea felt something low in her stomach, a feeling she hadn't felt before. Allie's grip on her hip forced her even further forward, she let go of the grip on Allie's throat to brace herself against the wall. Allie's left hand was still pinned to the wall, Bea grabbed the other one that was on her naked hip, putting it in the same position. Allie's breathing was erratic as she leaned into Bea's ear. "Is this turning you on," she groaned out. She lightly kissed the very top of Bea's jaw.

Bea was glued in position. She couldn't breathe, couldn't move. She felt those lips for a second time but they were slightly lower this time. She couldn't help the heavy breath that escaped her as Allie licked the pathway back up to her ear before she felt teeth wrap themselves around her earlobe.

No, she wasn't gay.

Bea backed off like a bullet, picking up her towel as quick as she could. She wasn't gay, it was never something that had ever crossed her mind...so why did she glance at Allie's naked body before slamming the shower curtain closed? She got dressed as quick as she could, her hands shaking as she tried to fasten her bra and pull her socks on. She was out of the shower unit and back to H1 in record time. The sensation between her legs was making it impossible to walk normal and the fact all she could hear was "go on then" over and over wasn't helping what she had to admit was pure arousal; the first time she'd ever properly felt it in her entire life.

And it had came from a woman.

"Why do you look like you've just had sex?" Franky asked her as she made her way into the unit. 

Bea's eyes went slightly wide and her face reddened but Franky didn't notice; she was too busy building a card tower by the looks of things.

"The fucking blonde one from Kaz's crew was being a weirdo in the showers," was all she said, hoping Franky would just ignore it.

"Allie?" The brunette questioned, to which Bea nodded. "Y'know she's actually alright. Nothing like our lord and saviour Kaz Proctor. She played basketball with us the other day when you were training. She's cool."

Bea just ignored the Allie talk and changed the subject to how Franky's chat with Miss Bennett went. She was paying attention but she just felt...not right. As soon as she'd sat down, there was an odd sensation in a place she wasn't used to having any sensations.

Back in H3, Allie was entering her unit to be met with Kaz screaming at Jackson and Smiles. "Kaz, what's going on?"

Kaz rushed over, taking Allie's hand into her own. "Bubba, they're trying to move you unit."

"What?" Allie shrieked, letting go of Kaz's hand and moving towards Mr Jackson. She knew Kaz hated him but in all honesty she thought he was a decent guy. "Why am I being moved? I haven't done anything."

"I know you haven't," Will agreed, stopping again to tell Proctor to keep her voice down. "We need your cell for a prisoner coming out of Protection. You'll be going to H1."

Kaz's eyes went wide. "Are you fucking kidding me? You're putting her with _Smith?"_

Allie didn't feel as bad now; she'd spoken to pretty much all the H1 girls apart from Bea. Maxine and Liz were always nice to her whenever they interacted and when she'd messed about playing basketball with Franky last week, she'd found Franky pretty cool.

"Watch that mouth, Proctor," Linda warned. "Go pack your things, Novak."

Allie made her way to her cell and began putting her things in her basket. From outside the cell, she could still hear Kaz arguing with the two officers. This is what bothered her; Kaz couldn't keep her mouth shut, even over the smallest thing. Everything had to be a controversy and Allie was starting to have less and less time for Kaz's behaviour. She loved the woman, she'd saved her life on multiple occasions but Kaz was always _Kaz_ off the RRH around everyone in here, she could never just be the Kaz that Allie knew. Once, she'd packed her things, Mr Jackson took her to Miss Bennett's office where it was explained the reasons she was the one who was being moved. Once they were done, Mr Jackson led her to H1.

"It's the safest unit in the prison, y'know?" Will offered up, knowing the young blonde was apprehensive. "Bea and Franky don't do anything unless they have to, so don't think they're gonna start on you. Trust me, they're not like that."

Allie just nodded, managing out a "yeah, thanks."

"Ladies," Mr Jackson announced his presence. "You've got a new roommate. Novak's gonna be taking one of the spare cells." H1 was the biggest unit and had space for eight inmates instead of the usual six. There were three spare cells after Doreen had left two weeks ago. "You can pick your cell."

Shrugging, Allie made her way to number 17, completely unaware she'd just chosen the cell next door to Bea. She made her way inside to put her stuff in.

Mr Jackson made his way towards the table where everyone but Bea was sat; she was currently seeing Bridget Westfall. "Listen, I know she's part of Kaz's crew but she's not Proctor, so please don't give her any shit." He looked at Franky and the brunette nodded in return. "Good. Try and include her, if you're sitting playing cards or whatever then invite her cause she's not gonna come out her cell unless you ask her to. She's gonna feel like she's intruding."

"Well, she is but, ay? I don't want none of them blue left hand fuckers trying to get us to join their fuckin cult," Boomer stated and looked around for approval.

Franky barked out a laugh and despite the pain in her ribs, she couldn't stop. "Fuckin blue left hand," she repeated, still unable to stop laughing.

Bea could hear Franky laughing before she'd even entered the unit. "What are you laughin' at?" Bea asked, unable to stop a smile spreading to her face a she watched Franky and Maxine laughing.

"Boomer," Mr Jackson rolled his eyes, his voice saying _obviously._ "So, with Ferguson coming into General, we've put her in with women who didn't't know her as Governor, which means you've got a new roomie," he informed Bea.

Bea groaned. She liked it just the five of them. "Who is it?" She was lucky her back was turned to the rest of the group when it was Allie walked out of the cell next door to hers.

"Novak," Will answered, completely oblivious to the stare off going on in front of him. "I'll let you get settled in."

Franky was torn as she watched Mr Jackson make a move to leave the unit. She'd been given an out of the mandatory session with Bridget by Miss Bennett due to her attack last night, but Bridget had been there the whole time. The pain meds were strong and her memory of everything was a slight haze, but she didn't recall Bridget leaving her. "Fuck it," she whispered to herself and called after him. She passed Allie on her way out and gave her a little fist bump, which the blonde gratefully responded to with a smile.

"You're going?" Bea questioned in surprise.

Franky shrugged. "It's one session. I'm sure I'll manage." Will had walked back and Franky explained she had her session with Bridget, he looked just as surprised as Bea but escorted her there anyway.

________________________________

Not bothering to look up from her laptop as she continued to type, Bridget called out for whoever it was to come in. "Will," she smiled. "Can I help you with something?"

Shaking his head, Will motioned for Franky to enter. "Just bringing Doyle for you." He noticed the confused look on Bridget's face. "Have we got the time wrong?"

Standing up, Bridget waved her hands. "No, of course not. I just lost track of time." She smiled assuringly and thanked him as he left before turning to Franky. The bruise on her cheek hard darkened overnight and unsurprisingly she'd taken the butterfly stitches off making the cuts on her face visible. "You came," she said softly. She couldn't lie and say she hoped Franky would appear but her initial reluctance followed by last night, she knew the chances were extremely slim. Yet here Franky was, standing in front of her, hands in her pockets looking a little awkward.

"Well, Bea came so...figured fairs fair." Franky shrugged and sat down in one of the strangely coloured chairs when Bridget gestured for her to do so.

Bridget sat down in the opposite chair. She was supposed to lead the session yet she was feeling as awkward as Franky looked. "So, how are you feeling after last night?" That was a nice easy opener...wasn't it?

"Fine." Franky suddenly felt nervous, making it impossible for her to get more than a few words out. "Just my stomach."

If her jaw was anything to go by, Bridget wondered what state her stomach was in. "How's the bruising?"

Tentatively, Franky stood up and lifted her shirt slightly, making sure she was half standing sideways so Bridget couldn't properly see the scars that couldn't be covered. Bridget looked for half a second before shaking her head and looking away. Franky's entire midsection was a mixture of blue, yellow, and purple bruises. Her hands covered her mouth, pleading it would stop the nauseous feeling. Unbeknownst to her, Franky's eyes had darkened and she was looking at Bridget in horror.

"Y'know, I'd expect that kind of reaction from that dickhead doctor, but not from you." Franky hissed out before heading for the door.

Bridget was taken aback. What the hell had happened? "What on earth are you talking about?"

Franky just shook her head in disgust. "I get they're fucking ugly but I didn't do that to myself." She pointed to the side where her scars were.

Bridget was off her chair in a split second, slamming the door shut as Franky opened it. "You think I was judging you...because you have scars?" she questioned harshly, her back staying against the door to stop Franky from exiting. "Is that the type of person you think I am...honestly?"

"You looked like you were gonna vomit," Franky grimaced out, eventually forcing herself to look at Bridget. Those blue eyes were soft...caring, like they always were.

"Because I could have stopped it!" Bridget exclaimed, leaning her weight against the door. "I said I'd call you an officer so you weren't alone but I didn't, I let you go yourself and now look at you." She shook her head sadly.

Franky had closed her eyes. She'd done it again...judged the woman, when in fact, Bridget had her back every time she'd needed her to the past few days. "Gidge, if they wanna get me - they'll get me. Even if I was in the fuckin' Protection Unit they'd still find a way." She moved back to the chair, motioning for Bridget to do the same. "If you blame yourself, you'll go crazy. Trust me."

Bridget repositioned her chair so that it was facing Franky directly. "You need to stop thinking I'm judging you or thinking the worst of you because I'm not, and it's driving me fucking crazy." Green eyes pierced into her own; Bridget found them completely unreadable. "You think I'd care that someone has scars? You think I think you'd rape someone just because you're in prison? The only thing I judge you on is how quick you are to judge me!"

And now Franky felt awful because of course someone as kind as caring as Bridget wouldn't judge these types of things. Even her job told you all you had to know about her; she worked with criminals because she believed they were capable of change. "It's not easy to trust people, especially in here. Women backstab you, some of the screws are dodgy. Hell, look at Ferguson...she was the Governor and look at all the shit she was doing to us."

"I get that," Bridget agreed with a nod. "But why don't we try something?" When Franky gave a hesitant nod, she continued, "Why don't you try trusting me until I give you a reason not to?"

Franky pondered it. "I wanna know something about you."

Taken aback, Bridget laughed lightly. "Franky, we're only allowed to talk about you. I can't tell you anything about myself."

"So I'm supposed to trust you...open up to you...pour my heart out. But I get nothing back." Franky tutted pulling her teeth between her lips. "That's not a fair deal, is it?"

"If you were in my position, you'd be very careful what you told anyone," Bridget explained, though Franky still didn't look like she was going to let up.

And she didn't. "Do you have a girlfriend?

Bridget was taken aback. "What makes you assume my sexuality?" She fought to maintain eye contact, trying her best to stay in charge here.

"You assumed mine yesterday," Franky bit back immediately, with _that_ grin on her face. "Seems a bit unfair you can assume but I can't."

"I think we should just stick to you, yeah?" Bridget tried her best to change the subject.

Franky leaned forward, hands on her knees. "Why won't you answer the question?"

"Are you asking because you feel some sort of connection?" Bridget enquired. It was a genuine question she'd ask a client if need be, but part of her was also curious.

"Connection?" Franky repeated with a laugh, shaking her head. "Do I seem like the type of girl to you that thinks about _connections_ and _feelings_?"

Bridget considered her next move before settling on it. "If I answer your question, can we move on?" Franky nodded and mockingly crossed her heart. "Yes," Bridget confirmed as she met Franky's eyes. "I am a lesbian."

Franky fought to keep the grin off her face but it was near enough impossible. She'd read Bridget right the entire time, and not that she'd ever admit it out loud but since they'd met...she had felt some sort of connection or whatever it was. It was something she'd never felt with any woman she'd met. Not only was Bridget stunning, but Franky found herself wanting to sit and actually get to know the woman. But she knew it wasn't possible.

"Listen, I uh, I've got some news," Bridget announced and she knew there were nerves evident in her voice.

"You had enough already?" Franky teased. But part of her was worried that's what was coming as Bridget seemed a little on edge suddenly.

Bridget laughed. "Nuh, you're not getting rid of me that easy. Uhm, I want to undertake several different counselling programmes; one of them being for those who are coming up for parole. It's a massive adjustment to go from prison to living on the outside and especially with you...you're obviously one of the top dogs. It's clear that you struggle with anger issues and I don't want you finally getting out of here only to break parole. Im not saying you will, trust me. And I'm not meaning just you with the parole thing, but the percentage is high, Franky, and I do not want you in that percentage and ending up back in here."

"Gidge, I'm not up for parole for six months so I think we've probably got about another five months to go before we have this conversation." Franky drew up her eyebrows with a smile.

God, this had been the part Bridget had been dreading. "I've already put my ideas to the board and they've been cleared. Anyone that's up for parole within six months must attend a one on one counselling session weekly and a group counselling session."

Franky's eyes were wide with shock. "I have to do mandatory counselling?"

"Yes," Bridget confirmed. "But when it comes to your hearing, I get to write a report recommending you for parole and I get to say you attended the programme which they'll look on as a huge plus." Franky only grimaced and dramatically rolled back into the chair. "Stop being such a drama queen; its two hours a week."

Franky sat back up slowly. She had that mischievous look on her face that Bridget was becoming used to. "Fine. but I have some conditions for the one on ones."

"Are you trying to bargain with me?" She tried to be stern but couldn't help smile lightly as Franky shrugged lightly. "Right, let me hear this. Entertain me."

"I want coffee; good coffee." Was Franky's first _demand._

"Deal," Bridget confirmed.

Green eyes widened, it actually worked. She thought quickly, what else could she get? "Snacks."

Bridget only rolled her eyes. "Coffee and snacks - fine."

"And my kitchen shift usually finishes at two and I like to shower right after it, so I want afternoon slots." That was Franky's last demand.

Bridget outstretched her hand, which Franky took happily. "Deal," the blonde agreed. She got up from her chair and went to retrieve two cups. Franky wasn't paying attention. "How do you like it?"

Franky's eyes widened. "What?!"

Bridget suddenly realised the way Franky had taken the question considering she wasn't paying attention to her making coffee behind them. "Coffee!" she mumbled out, holding up the fancy jar.

It was hard to miss the way Bridget's pale cheeks had slightly reddened. "Little bit of milk, three sugars. You have to put the milk in first."

"Sorry, I don't recall reading anywhere in your file stating you're a maniac; milk in first?" Bridget teased but done as requested. "And three sugars? How do those teeth stay so white?"

"Uh, I brush them obviously," Franky mocked. "I don't drink much coffee anyway. We get the shit coffee."

"So you're a coffee snob?" Bridget asked as she handed the cup over.

Franky just laughed. "No. I just don't like shit coffee." She took a sip and let out a satisfied sigh. "Shit, that's good, ay."

Bridget was too busy trying to get the groan Franky had just made out of her mind. The brunettes voice interrupted her anyway, "Listen, I need you to do something for me?" Franky had shifted in her chair and looked serious.

"What?" Bridget asked, her voice just as serious.

"If Joan Ferguson requests to see you, I need you to say no. She absolutely wouldn't want to speak to a counsellor so if she wants to see you then she's got an ulterior motive." Franky didn't want Ferguson anywhere near Bridget. She still had no idea why the headcase wanted put into general but she wasn't having Bridget involved in any way.

Sighing, Bridget sat her cup to the side. "Franky, I can't treat her different from any other prisoner. You get that, don't you?"

"You have no idea what that woman is capable of. If she wants any sort of session, you have to tell Miss Bennett, so she can tell me and Bea." Franky could sense Bridget's hesitancy. "Just, promise you'll tell Vera. Please?"

"Okay," Bridget agreed. "I promise."

"Y'know, being top dog and when it comes to people like Ferguson and Juice... it's not my job to just protect the prisoners," Franky admitted quietly, softly. She avoided Bridget's gaze for as long as she could before thinking it was safe to look up. It wasn't though, because those bright blue eyes that had been on her mind for two days were staring right back at her.

And that was the moment Bridget realised that for the first time in her entire career...she was falling for a prisoner.

______________________________

"You honestly have no idea how much you have saved us this week," Vera smiled gratefully as she swiped through to the Protection Unit.

"Hey, no worries at all," Sean replied with a charming grin. "I'd have been here the second I heard but...transfer papers, you know."

"Obviously, I briefed you in my office,' Vera reminded as they made their way over to the door. She informed the officer on guard that his shift was over. "Linda Miles is just getting the Prisoner her uniform and then we're moving her." She asked him to wait there for just a minute as she caught up with the officer who had been on watch most of the day.

Joan pressed the intercom once she knew they were alone. "Took your time...Officer Brody."

"Yeah, well, transfer papers usually take weeks but Channing fast tracked them as quick as he could. He wants you out as quick as possible," Sean replied quietly, keeping his eye out for Vera or Linda reappearing.

"Yes, well...I have some _things_ I'd like to do first before breaking out, so I hope you're well prepared."

Sean only grinned. "How many's on the hit list?"

Joan smirked. "Just...a few."

"Who's first then?" Sean asked.

Joan's face turned to stone before the simple reply came,

"Franky Doyle."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who left a review/kudos, I'm so shocked at how many people are interested. I have no idea how many chapters this will be. I have all the main scenes/storylines in my head; it's just the scenes to fill the chapters that I won't be sure of until I'm actually doing that chapter. Hopefully the ending to this chapter will give the idea of what's going down. Obviously Franky is first on the hit list but all the prisoners are currently against Joan so we'll need to see how that will work. Obviously Callie have had their first scene and with Allie in H1, they'll be forced to spend a lot of time together. I'll definitely be including the infamous "cut and colour" scene we never got a chance to see. We all know how Boomer speaks in the show so to honour her character I have to say the same things so I hope no one takes offence. And if anyone by chance notices words spelled differently etc, I'm from the UK and I know we spell certain words different from the US.
> 
> Thanks everyone,
> 
> WWFan10


	3. Caught ice handed

"So," Bridget began, taking a small sip from her coffee. "I've explained everything to you about how this is going to work. Unless you have any questions, I suggest we get started on the actual sessions."

Franky just rolled her eyes. The exact reaction Bridget had expected. It had been a week since their last session, and although they'd briefly seen each other around the prison, this was the first they'd had a chance to properly interact. The weekend had been difficult for Bridget; she'd spent most of it in a constant state of worry over Franky. When she got back on Monday, however, she was glad to see Franky was fine. The bruise on her face had massively died down and today was now just a blotch of pale yellow on her face. When she'd asked the brunette on Monday how she was, she was met with the usually grin and a comment of "much better now I've seen you." Bridget had just shook her head with a smile and they'd arranged Wednesdays for their sessions. She'd asked Vera about the weekend and was told it was uneventful, so Bridget knew whoever had attacked Franky hadn't been given their payback...yet.

If she was being honest, Bridget was a little nervous. She'd never actually _counselled_ Franky before and really didn't know how Franky was going to take it. When it came to Franky and certain subjects, Bridget knew she was very much either fight or flight - there was no in-between.

"Franky, the thing that worries me the most about you is your anger," Bridget admitted, her hands clasped together as she leaned on her knees. "You can fly off the handle in a flash and most of the times I've seen, it's because all you've done is read the situation wrong. I want to recommend you for parole but I can't do that unless I'm 100% sure you can control your anger."

Franky only shrugged. "Fine. I'll work on the _anger_ thing. Whatever."

"No," Bridget said lightly. "I want you to actually tell me why you feel so angry. Why is it so hard for you to control?" Franky's feet had started to tap lightly against the floor, something Bridget had picked up on that she did when she was either frustrated or on the way there. "Franky, we've got six months together, so you are actually going to need to talk to me."

"I've got a bad temper. So do lots of people," Franky reasoned, thinking that would hopefully be enough of an explanation.

Bridget only raised her eyebrows, silently saying _that's not enough_. "I need you to tell me why you have such a bad temper."

"Fuckin' hell." Franky lulled back in her seat. "Do you want my life story? Will that shut you up?"

"Yes. That's exactly what I want," Bridget answered honestly. "Start from your childhood. Is that where all this began?"

Green eyes pierced out from behind Franky's dark hair, her fringe had fallen slightly and she hadn't bothered to move it. " _Tell you about my childhood_?" she repeated and squared her jaw. "You've got my file, you know what she did to me. So, why the fuck would you make me want to relive that? Have you ever had a cigarette pressed against your flesh?" She smiled sarcastically and let out and even worse laugh. "It's like fuckin' foreplay. Have you got any on you just now and you can see what it's like?"

Bridget touched a hand to her head and let out a silent sigh. "You've done it again. You've made an assumption...a _wrong_ one. I don't want you to relive that, of course I don't. Were you this angry as a child? That's what I want to know...when all this started."

Franky was out of her seat and her front was leaning against the door in a flash. She couldn't do six months of this, she could barely cope with the conversation they were currently having.

"You started it when you were a kid, didn't you?" Bridget asked softly and also got out of her chair. "You started building this wall to block everything out."

"Shut up, Gidget," was the only mumbled response that came. Bridget couldn't see Franky's face, she could only see the back of her rigid body. She leaned her own body against the glass window, right next to Franky, though the brunettes bicep was still obstructing the view of her face.

"The things that she did to you, you didn't deserve them," Bridget breathed out softly.

Franky was struggling, though. She had the urge, the urge to just hit and punch until she couldn't feel anything anymore. "I told you to shut up! Do _not_ fucking push me too far!" At this, she looked up, slowly taking a step to the side, her green eyes weren't their usual light green; they were dark, penetrating.

Bridget uncrossed her arms as Franky came to stand directly in front of her. She looked...like she wasn't Franky, like she was locked inside the wall she built and couldn't find her way out.

"What if I don't shut up?" Bridget questioned calmly as their eyes finally met. "Will you hit me?"

Franky only stared, their eyes connected for what felt like eternity. Would she hit the woman? The woman who had somehow occupied her thoughts from the moment they first met. "I wouldn't," she stammered out, then awkwardly stopped. "I'd never touch you," she whispered out softly.

"You know with every session, I get asked If I need an officer stationed outside." Bridget moved the blind to the side to allow Franky to look into the corridor. "What do you see?"

Looking out through the gap then back to Bridget, Franky answered, "Nothing."

"Exactly. I know you get angry and I know it's hard for you to control...but I'm not scared of you. I don't see you as a threat to me in any way." She leant down a bit, forcing Franky to look back at her. "You've got this idea in your head that your this terrible person...but you're not."

"I am," Franky answered instantly. All the anger in her voice was gone, it was now back to that vulnerable, soft tone. She could feel the tears pooling behind her eyes. "Can we stop the session, please?" She cleared her throat and took a step back, unaware of how close they had actually been standing.

Bridget felt her stomach drop. "You want to stop?" Her eyes pleaded with Franky's, silently pleading her not to leave.

Dropping the gaze as she knew she'd cave if she looked into those blue eyes. Franky just nodded and quietly thanked Bridget as she opened the door for her. Once Franky was gone, Bridget dropped to her knees against the wall, a few stray tears fell down her face and she hastily wiped them away. "Fuck," she whispered. She felt...emotionally drained; probably the exact same way Franky was feeling. She'd knew of Prison Staff falling for prisoners and every time she'd heard it, she thought it was ridiculous and didn't understand how it was even possible. And now, here she was, sitting on the floor of her office crying over a prisoner and the fact she couldn't get her out of her damn mind.

Unbeknownst to her, Franky was currently crying over her, too.

____________________________________

"Officer," Joan called out, knowing it was finally Brody who was stationed to watch over her. She'd been in H3 an entire week and this was the first time he'd been stationed in her unit on lookout.

"What is it, Ferguson?" Sean called back in feigned annoyance. Joan responded by requesting her fake cup of tea, to which Sean requested Kaz get up and do it. The older blonde did it but huffed the entire time before making her way into Joan's cell.

Joan smiled her best fake smile. "Thank you, Kaz." She accepted the cup gratefully. "I just wanted to say...thank you...for always bringing me tea when they ask. I appreciate it a lot, and the fact that none of you and your friends have treated me the way the other prisoner's have."

Kaz just nodded. "You're safe with us, Joan."

"Again, I appreciate that," Joan reaffirmed. "I was wondering if I could ask a small favour...if it wouldn't be too much trouble."

"Depends what it is," Kaz replied with a smirk.

Joan returned it. "I was wondering if you could ask Tina Mercado to come and see me...she was punished for something while I was in charge and I want to apologise for it and explain what really happened," she lied and patiently waited to see if the woman would buy it. Luckily, for both her and Brody, Kaz complied and said she'd go and have a look for Tina.

"We good?" Sean whispered into the cell.

"She said she'd go and find her. Did you bring the...equipment?" Joan asked as she got up to flush the tea down the sink. She looked at the time hastily, hoping Mercado would make an appearance soon.

Luckily Tina and Cindy Lou walked in around ten minutes later...without Kaz, and none of the rest of the RRH were around either. Brody motioned them both over and gently pushed them both inside, himself included.

"What the fuck is this?" Tina asked, bringing a shiv out of her pocket and pointing it directly at Ferguson.

Joan shook her head as Brody attempted to step in. "Now, Tina," Joan began with a smile. "I suggest you put that down as the two of us have something...much more...valuable to you and your friends."

At that Brody quickly undone his belt, he pulled out a hefty stash of drugs, handing it to the shocked woman who reluctantly took it.

"Listen, Smith and Doyle cut the supply," Tina reminded, slipping the shiv back into her pocket. "I can't pay for this. I have no customers."

"Consider it a...gift," Joan offered up. "From your new... business partners."

Tina raised an eyebrow. "Business partners?"

"Think about it," Joan mused lightly. "Myself and officer Brody supply the drugs to you...and you make all the money."

Tina translated to Cindy and they spoke back and forth a minute. "Wait, so...you're not taking a cut of money?"

"It's on the house. A gift from me to you." They looked at each other for a few minutes before Tina smiled. "So, we have a deal?"

"Deal," Mercado confirmed.

Brody stopped them before they could leave. "There's just one thing I need," Joan admitted. Tina sighed, asking what it was. "I want the women to know that it's coming from me...that I am the one that is supplying them. I want them on my side eventually and I trust a steady drug supply should do just that."

"That's all you want?" Tina questioned, not convinced.

Joan nodded. "You either give me or Mr Brody three days notice before the supply runs out. And just a tip...as I know Doyle runs the kitchen; the best place to stash it is the metal board above the cooker. If you give it a slight pull, it comes straight off. I was the only officer who ever looked there...so it's more than safe."

Mercado nodded, grinning like a cheshire cat before she made her way out of the cell. "Fucking best deal I ever made." The two of them made their way to the kitchen where they did as Joan said and started to stash the load behind the metal pull off. Just as they were about done, Allie walked in, catching them in the act. The blonde didn't say anything but she was ready to run if Mercado came at her. The prison had apparently been drug free for months, so how the hell had these two managed to hoard in a stash?

"You like ice cream," Tina asked, handing the bag of ice to Allie, who shakily took it. "We're back in business. H1 don't find out and we stay in business. You need anymore, you come to me, yeah?"

Allie just nodded and bolted towards H1. Clearly they were unaware she now _lived_ in H1. She entered the unit out of breath, groaning out in frustration as it was empty. "Franky," she called out, hoping the brunette was just in her cell. "FRANKY?"

Bea exited her cell, her jaw tightened. "Why the fuck are you shouting? Just check her cell?" She watched the blonde do so before exiting, looking just as stressed as before she entered.

"Do you know where she is?" Allie asked nervously, her blue eyes constantly diverting to the entrance incase a screw entered.

"No. I haven't seen her since she went to Miss Westfall earlier," Bea admitted. She eyed the blonde up and down. Why did she look so on edge?

Allie swallowed heavily. "Fuck," she muttered before quickly making her way to her cell. She paced back and forth with the small bag in her hand. She didn't hear the door open, nor did she see Bea stand and watch her pace back and forth in a frenzy.

"Are you gonna use it?" The voice snapped Allie out of her pacing and she backed up against the cell wall behind her. She didn't know why Bea didn't bash her that day in the showers, but this...drugs...Bea was probably about to kick the living daylights out of her.

"Just..fucking do what you're gonna do," Allie said in defeat, shaking her head. "You won't fucking believe me anyway so there's no point in even trying to explain."

Bea took a seat on the bed, much to Allie's surprise. "But you were shouting for Franky...so you obviously thought Franky would believe you?"

"Well...yeah," Allie admitted and tentatively took a seat as well. "Franky and I are friends...I guess. We're not - plus you fucking hate me so, yeah obviously I'd go to Franky."

Bea felt a twinge of annoyance in her gut. She'd noticed herself that the two of them got on really well. Allie still sat with Kaz during dinner times but her and Franky seemed to be getting pretty close. "I don't hate you," Bea admitted awkwardly, her hands toying with each other. God, what else was she supposed to say? "Look, I know you didn't buy that...so get it out of your head that I'm gonna bash you and just tell me what happened."

"I can't," Allie admitted, her blue eyes looking like she was about to cry. "If I tell you, you'll do something and they'll know it was me who told you; I caught them putting it away and they gave me this to shut me up. As soon as you go for them, they're gonna come for me. Jesus, I haven't even thought about a drug in about a year and now it's all I can think about." She got up and began to pace again.

"Jesus," Bea muttered out before standing up herself. Her hands made their way to the tops of the blonde's shoulders, her strong grip keeping her in place. "I promise you I won't do anything that puts you in danger. Trust me?"

Allie looked up, surprised to find Bea's eyes were soft, almost worried looking. "Mercado. I went into the kitchen and caught her and that Cindy one hiding it in the metal pull off above the cookers."

"Okay, was that so hard?" Bea questioned, trying her best to lighten the mood.

Allie just rolled her eyes. "What are you gonna do?"

"I don't know, yet," Bea admitted honestly. "But I do know that I need you to flush that." She nodded her head towards the toilet.

Stepping lightly towards the toilet, Allie dropped the bag into the toilet. Bea had her hand covering the flush, but was waiting for some sort of confirmation from Allie. The blonde sighed and looked at Bea, who was sympathetically looking back at her. She lifted her hand and moved it to the flush, covering Bea's in the process as she firmly pushed their hands down, making the drugs disappear.

To Allie's surprise, Bea didn't take her hand away straight away. Instead, she did the opposite and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Well done," Bea said softly, gently pulling her hand away when she felt her face going slightly red. She cleared her throat. "Look, I get you're in Kaz's crew but as long as you're in here with us, you're safe."

"I don't agree with everything Kaz does, but she saved my life. I love her." Allie sat down on the bed, hoping Bea would do the same. "I mean, doesn't Franky drive you fucking mental at times but you still love her...she's still you best friend."

"Franky drives everybody crazy at times," Bea admitted with a laugh. Allie swallowed hard, hoping Bea hadn't notice the affect that husky laugh seemed to do to her. She didn't hear Bea laugh a lot. Out of the two top dogs, Bea seemed to be more serious whereas Franky was more likely to have a laugh and mess around.

Allie shook her head with a smile. "I like Franky. She's been nice to me from day one, even knowing I was part of Kaz's crew."

The words were out her mouth before she could stop them. "Y'know she's single and extremely gay. Just make a move if you're that fussed on her."

Was that a hint of jealousy in Bea's voice or was she just imagining it? "Franky's attractive...but she's not necessarily my type."

"Franky's every girls type. They literally throw themselves at her." Bea shyly glanced up after a few seconds. "What is your type?"

Allie tilted her head, a cheeky smile playing on her lips. "Recently, I've found myself having a thing for red heads."

Bea tried her hardest but she couldn't stop the blush covering her cheeks. Why did that always fucking happen any time Allie was even within 5ft of her? "I'm not gay," she blurted out awkwardly.

"Okay..sure." The amusement was clear in Allie's voice and she couldn't stop the slight laugh from spilling out.

"Why is that funny?" Bea questioned in annoyance, which only made Allie laugh even harder. "I'm asking you a question?" Allie tightly closed her eyes, trying her best to hold in her laughter. Obviously it didn't work which just wound Bea up even more. Bea grabbed Allie's wrists that were covering the blonde's face, her grip was gentle though as she forced Allie's hands away from her face. Allie shook her head, her blue eyes twinkling up at the frustrated red head. Bea forced her to stand up, still holding her wrists. "Tell me why that's so funny?"

Allie stopped laughing when she realised they were standing extremely close and Bea still had a loose grip on her wrists. To her surprise, Bea didn't look embarrassed; she was looking at her expectantly. "Okay, fine. I just get a little bit of a ...vibe from you - that's all."

Bea attempted to speak but opened and shut her mouth several times. "A vibe?" was all she managed to mutter out. No one had ever said that to her, not even Franky...and she was positive if she gave off even 1% of a gay vibe, Franky would be the first to notice.

Suddenly, Allie found herself unable to take her eyes off Bea's bare forearms. The red head was wearing her teal tank top without her hoodie, revealing those extremely toned arms. AKA Allie's favourite Bea look.

"You're doing that thing again," Bea pointed quietly as she watched those blue eyes turn a shade darker.

"You should take it as a compliment." Allie smiled and watched as Bea nervously glanced over at the wall. "Unless, y'know, you'd rather I looked at... _Franky_."

Bea just tutted. "I don't care if you look at Franky." She absolutely did care if Allie looked at Franky, but it was hard enough admitting that to herself. There were voices in the background; the rest of the girls were clearly back in the unit.

"Sooo, you wouldn't care at all if I went out there and shoved my tongue down Franky's throat," Allie pondered, trying her best to gauge Bea's reaction. The top dog, however, didn't flinch. "Okay." Allie just smiled sweetly and left the cell. Bea followed promptly. Surely Allie was just bluffing?

"Hey," Allie greeted the four women who had just entered the unit. "What you guys been doin?"

"We were just outside getting some fresh air, love," Liz replied with a smile before her and Maxine started on tea duty for everyone.

Boomer chimed in. "We were helping Franky with the weights." She smiled and then groaned out loud as Franky slapped at her arm. "Oh, fuck, right. _Don't mention the weights thing in front of Bea._ "

Bea only rolled her eyes. "You better have only done the light ones," Bea warned sternly.

"Franky, you've got really nice lips. Has anyone ever told you that?" Allie asked charmingly, while moving over to stand next to the brunette who was currently leaning against the table in the middle of the unit. She didn't look up at Bea, but she could feel those brown eyes staring through her. 

Franky hadn't missed the way both Allie and Bea had came out of Allie's cell. She didn't miss the way, that for the past week, both of them looked at each other when they knew the other one wasn't looking. Bea barely spoke to Allie unless necessary, yet they'd both been in Bea's cell... Bea who currently looked like she wanted to put her fist through a wall as Allie leaned into her. She wasn't stupid, but she'd play along for the reaction. Plus, if she could do this and not think of Bridget then it was obviously just a stupid crush. Of course it was, it had to be, she told herself.

"Well, you're tellin' me now, aren't ya?" Franky responded with a smile.

"They just look so...kissable," Allie commented and Bea could only scoff, which made the blonde look up at her. "Did you say something, Bea?"

Bea only shook her head, a fake smile plastered on her face.

Franky could only watch the exchange. What the fuck was going on with these two? "You can uh....test that theory if you want," came the response Allie had been waiting for. Before Franky realised what was happening, Allie's hands had gripped her cheeks and she was kissing her, the force of it knocking her back a little. She regained her balance, standing to her full height as she deepened the kiss, her hands gripping the blonde's hips and pulling her tight against her. She could vaguely register Boomer cheering in the background. A different blonde popped into her head making her force her eyes shut as tight as possible and swipe her tongue into Allie's mouth. Allie wanted to open her eyes, wanted to look at Bea to silently tell her she wished it was her but she continued to kiss Franky hard and dirty, their tongues clashing together as she threaded her hands through soft brunette hair. It was soft and straight whereas she wanted it to be curly and thick.

"Fuck me," Boomer muttered in shock as the two finally broke apart, her mouth agape. She was straight for sure but that had been some fucking kiss. "Now that...was fuckin hot."

Bea shook her head in disgust. "I'm goin' for a lie down." She closed her cell door behind her, unaware that the anger she was currently feeling caused it to slam slightly.

"Hey, are you two gonna like start fuckin' now cause, Franky, you've not had a good root in ages, ay," Boomer grinned, her hand motioning between the two of them. "You two would be like way hot together."

"You're fucked now if you want a chance with her," Franky whispered only loud enough that Allie could hear.

Defiantly, Allie shrugged her shoulders. "Dunno what you mean."

Franky only smirked back. "Course you don't." She was smiling on the outside but silently dying on the inside. She'd kissed an attractive girl...but all she could think about was Bridget the entire time.

_______________________________________________

Franky wandered into the exercise yard, glad to be free of the awkward tension between Bea and Allie that was currently existing in the unit. Luckily, Bea was still talking to her normally. But the two of them were like watching two kids with a crush. Bea made everyone tea and practically flung Allie's across the table. Allie couldn't open a packet of biscuits so threw them across the table to Bea, insisting she do it. And then they glared at each other while Franky and Maxine exchanged looks of confusion; Boomer and Liz were clueless and involved in their own conversation.

A flash of blonde caught her eye near the edge of the basketball court. A light, easy smile came over her face without even realising it as her eyes took it Bridget's form. She wondered how one woman could be so stylish; she had on tight fitting black leather trousers with a fitted white t-shirt tucked into them and a navy blazer to finish. As usual, she had her high heeled boots on, which gave her an extra few inches on to her height.

"That's great," Bridget smiled, pointing to the box on the other page as well. "Just another signature there as well." Crossley, a prisoner from C block who was getting out next week finished signing the paperwork before handing it back. She thanked Bridget before making her way back to her friends. Bridget folded the papers back over, neatly tucking them into order. When she looked up, her heart almost stopped; one of the basketballs was hurdling like a bullet straight for her face. She braced herself for impact, it being too late to move but the hit never came as a hand reached out to stop the ball from hitting her face at the last second possible. Breathing a sigh of relief, she looked to see who had saved her.

Franky.

Franky - who was currently licking her lips as she bounced the ball up and down casually. Juice and her boys were laughing and pointing at the flustered psychologist. "You uh...you want the ball back, Radic?" She had saw it was the blonde one who had threw the ball directly at Bridget's face. When Radic nodded, Franky took a few steps on to the court and hurled the ball around her waist full force before letting it go. It moved at lightening speed before hitting the heavy blonde directly in the gut.

"Fuck. She's fuckin' winded me," Stella moaned out as she ungracefully lay on the court in the fetal position clutching her gut. 

"You good?" Franky muttered out to Bridget as she maintained eye contact with Juice. She held her arms open in a _come on_ gesture, but eventually the older woman gave up, dismissively waving her hand. "That's exactly what I thought!"

Bridget nodded hastily. "I'm fine. Thanks." She nodded to Franky's still bandaged wrist. "Is your wrist okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine. No hassle." Franky gave a small nod before making her way over to one of the empty gym units.

It was unclear how long Bridget hesitated for before she let herself into the small gym unit. "I hope you're being careful." Stupid. Why had she said that? Why hadn't she used her actual job to start a conversation.

"I rested for like eight days out of ten. That's pretty much as good as you're gonna get from me." She wondered what Bridget did to maintain her figure; she couldn't see the blonde weight lifting or anything extreme. "You do all that yoga shit, don't you?"

Bridget feigned offence. "Have you ever actually tried yoga?"

"Gidge, I can't listen to doctors orders," Franky shook her head, but there was a playful tone to her voice. "How do you think I'd do with some hippie telling me what to do? Plus, I'm not exactly flexible...but don't worry... I make up for it in other areas."

Blue eyes rolled but as usual Bridget couldn't help but smile at Franky's comment. "You have an exam on Monday, yeah?"

"Oooh," Franky grinned. "Checkin' my schedule now, ay? Didn't realise you'd fallen for me that quickly." It was easier to talk to Bridget when they weren't in those damned sessions; everything was so much easier outside that office.

"Well, actually I was gonna do you a favour and let you miss group session tomorrow to study," Bridget pondered as she lazily walked around the exercise unit. "But..."

Franky had put the weights down in an instant. "Hey, please," she smiled her sparkly whites at the blonde, who purposely pretended to be checking out the gym equipment. "Look, I've gotten an A on every single test since this course began...so if I don't get an A, I'll probably drown myself in the showers."

"Calm down, Meryl Streep," Bridget teased and shook her head at the over dramatisation. She picked up one of the little hand weights, unaware it was a lot heavier than what it looked like. She stumbled slightly but the strong body behind her helped her regain balance.

"Yeah that's heavy, you don't wanna be lifting that," Franky whispered softly and took the weight from her hand. She felt a gentle hand sweep of her hair to one side before she felt a pair of soft lips on her neck. "Franky," she moaned out, her hands gripping at the tank top behind her, pulling the taller woman into her. Franky's lips were softer than she'd imagined as they continued to ravish her neck. All of a sudden she was spun around and gently pushed against the metal fence with Franky looking her up and down like she wanted to devour her, those gentle hands pushed her blazer to the side and suddenly came into contact the the barely there material of her t-shirt. "What if someone sees us?"

Franky's teeth gently nipped at the top of her chest. "Nobody can see us?" She kissed all over the blonde's chest before rising so that their lips were inches apart. "You have no fucking idea how hard it is to be around you and not do this."

Bridget closed her eyes, awaiting those lips on her own.

"Gidge. Gidge. Bridget!"

Blue eyes snapped open to find Franky stood in front of her. "Are you okay? I was saying your name and you didn't respond. And you've gone as white as a ghost."

Realisation dawned on her...she'd imagined the entire thing. The weight was in fact in her hand but Franky hadn't been kissing her neck and her jaw and her chest. Jesus, she was going to pass out. Her head was spinning...she felt sick.

This time, Franky did grab the weight. "Seriously, are you okay?" Her green eyes were filled with worry. She forced Bridget to sit down on the bench. "Okay, you're scaring me. I'm getting an officer."

This snapped Bridget out of her daze. "No!" She forced a smile on her face. "I think it's just the heat, y'know? I'm used to being inside most of the day, so must be that." She was embarrassed...mortified even. She'd been awake so it wasn't like she could blame it on a dream that she had no control over. "I should get back inside." She made a move to stand up but another head rush caused her to stumble.

Franky was up in an instant, catching the blonde before she stumbled again. "Have you eaten anything today?" Bridget shook her head. "Gidge for fuck sake, it's after two in the afternoon." She led them over to the other side gate. "Swipe us out, I'm gonna help you inside but we can't go the other way or we're both fucked." Luckily, the other exit directed them almost straight to the kitchen.

"Why have you brought me to the kitchen?" Bridget asked in confusion. Franky's strong body was still supporting her whilst also lifting a chair before gently settling Bridget onto it.

A glass of orange juice was forced into her hands. "Drink it. All of it," Franky demanded and stood there until the entire glass was empty. She poured another one before pulling some stuff from the fridge and then washing her hands. "Any allergies?"

"What?" Bridget asked as she continued to slowly sip her juice. It suddenly dawned on her that Franky was making her lunch. Her heart was melting and so was she as she suddenly realised and slipped off her blazer.

Franky's eyes landed on Bridget's toned, bare arms. It was the first time she had seen so much flesh; she was struggling to look away. "Allergies," she repeated fastly. "What are you allergic to?"

"Franky, please. This honestly-"

"Do. You. Have. Any. Allergies. ?" Franky asked again and by the tone in her voice she guessed she wasn't getting out of this.

Shaking her head, she mumbled out a quiet, "No."

"You're flushed." She made up a wet cloth from the durable paper towels and gently pressed it to the blonde's forehead. "Hold it there," Franky instructed softly.

Flushed. She looked flushed. She'd just had a...whatever that was...almost passed out...and now Franky was making her lunch while she sat there in disbelief. What the hell had happened? She'd felt a little sick since she'd left her office, and had a headache for a decent whack of the day, but didn't think much of it. She watched Franky move around the kitchen expertly, noticing that the brunette looked up at least once a minute to make sure she was okay. A little while later, a delicious looking omelette was sat down in front of her. Bridget smiled, it looked like it was actually served from a restaurant.

"I know you might feel a little sick but just try and eat a little, yeah?" Franky took the wash cloth from Bridget's hand, the back of her hand touching her forehead again. "You're not as hot before - that's good. Probably the fact you been awake for about eight hours on no food."

Bridget could only roll her eyes. "I can't eat when I have sessions and as soon as I finish them, I do the paperwork so I don't fall behind. It's easy to loose track of time." She took her first bite and had to stop the moan from slipping out. It was just a simple omelette but she wasn't used to ever having food cooked for her and Franky was clearly a natural.

"It's okay?" Franky asked nervously. It was just a stupid omelette but she wanted Bridget to like it.

Bridget nodded enthusiastically. "It's soo good. You're amazing at this, really."

Franky just grinned. "I know."

"And so modest," Bridget teased lightly. She ate the rest slowly while Franky cleaned up. "How do you picture yourself leaving here?"

Franky stopped drying her hands. "Are we having a session here?"

"No." Bridget shook her head. "It's just something I usually ask people that are up for parole, but our first session wasn't really a session so I never got the chance to ask you. So...tell me. Paint me a picture."

Franky hopped up on to the work unit. "You want the truth?" Bridget nodded and Franky continued. "Now Ferguson's out, I don't think I'll be leaving here."

"Just," Bridget began with a sigh. "Humour me for once. Please?"

Thinking it over, Franky shrugged. "I wanna walk out of those gates and forget about every single bad thing that has ever happened in this place. And I wanna be picked up, by a hot girl, in a hot car, and driven off into the sunset." It dawned on her that image would never come true and she shook her head sadly. "So how's that picture?"

Bridget pressed her lips together. "It sounds like you actually have some hope."

"No," Franky said immediately, gently taking the empty plate from Bridget's hands. "There's no fuckin' hope, Gidge."

"You're wrong," Bridget disagreed, but before she could say anything else, Franky had hopped off the counter and made sure she was okay to walk. When she said she felt much better, Franky led them both back into the corridor. Luckily, no one had spotted them leave the kitchen together.

There was a tension, not an awkward one...just a heavy tension as they walked side by side. "Thank you for lunch," Bridget broke the silence. "You really di-"

"Franky!" A shriek from behind them cut Bridget off as a small dark haired woman flung herself into Franky's arms. Bridget recognised the woman, she'd done her admission this morning; it was Kim Chang. "I have been looking for you all over," she said seductively, keeping her arms around Franky's neck.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Franky tried to step out of Kim's embrace but the smaller woman only pulled her in closer.

"What do you think?" Kim answered cheekily. "I came back to see my girl."

Before Franky could stop her, Kim had pulled her in for a kiss. She pulled away immediately and looked at Bridget. Blue eyes were looking back at her and Franky could swear she saw nothing but hurt swirling in those ocean blues. She shook her head forcefully whilst still looking at Bridget. "Gidge," she said quietly, not that she could say anything else.

Forcing on her best fake smile, Bridget announced she had a session, refusing to meet Franky's eyes. She made her way down the hall, exhaling heavily as she heard Franky call after her. Franky sighed sadly, her arms falling in defeat at her sides.

Why was there a pain in her chest as she watched Bridget walk away?

____________________________

Bea was unable to sleep and eventually gave up and extracted herself from bed, she glanced at the clock once she was out of her cell; 2am. She'd went to bed at 11pm and couldn't manage to sleep, there was so much on her mind. She made her way to the kitchen to make herself some tea. Allie turned round, flinching on the spot as she came face to face with Bea.

"Fuck," Allie hissed out in pain. Her bodies reaction to the fright caused the remnants of the cup to spill down her hand.

"Was that tea?" Bea asked huskily.

Allie just glared. "No, it was fucking pink lemonade. Yes! It was fucking tea." Her hand was quickly grabbed by Bea's and she was dragged back a few steps towards the tap. Bea turned the cold water on full and forced Allie's hand under it. "It's fucking freezing."

"Would you rather hot water?" Bea forced the blonde's hand back in as she tried to remove it. She groaned every time Allie tried to move her hand. On the fifth or possibly fifteenth time, Bea gave in and held Allie's hand there firmly.

"How long do we have to keep it like that? It's sore." Allie moaned, but eventually gave up on trying to move her hand.

"Till the redness goes away?" Bea answered instantly. Somehow, she'd gone from holding Allie's wrist to holding her actual hand. She closed her eyes sharply, trying to make that nervous feeling go away. "

Bea tried to bite her tongue but was unsuccessful. "Why don't you go get Franky to kiss it better?"

Allie shhhhd Bea. "Can you hear that?" she whispered. Bea listened, unable to hear anything so shook her head. "It's the sound of jealousy." Bea only glared as Allie grinned directly at her. "Bea, stop staring. I get it, ya like me."

Ignoring the comment, Bea focused on Allie's hand. Once the redness had gone, she told the blonde to go sit down before going into her cell and returning a few seconds later with some aloe vera cream.

"What's that?" Allie asked, her hand now wrapped in a dry towel. She was slightly shivering though from the cold water.

"Aloe vera," Bea answered. She considered her next move before she gave in and slipped her night robe off and placed it over Allie's shoulders. The teasing from Allie's eyes were gone and were now soft...grateful. "Let me see your hand." She sat down next to Allie and began to gently rub the cream in. She didn't know if she heard Allie's breathing speed up or if it was just her imagination by this point.

Allie stared at Bea's hand as it gently smoothed the cream over her own. "Your hands are really soft," she whispered out.

"Hairdressing hands," Bea answered with a coy smile.

"Would you cut my hair?" Allie asked shyly.

Bea nodded. "Yeah. If you want me to." She finished rubbing the cream in and stood up awkwardly. "Were you going to bed?"

"No. Couldn't sleep," Allie admitted, pulling the robe tightly around her; it smelled of whatever moisturiser Bea wore. "You?"

Bea shook her head. "I was gonna stay up...but I'll leave you be."

"Stay," Allie called out before she could stop herself.

Bea was hesitant. She couldn't sleep at 2am because of the reason asking her to stay up. Was it not better to face Allie head on rather than fighting with her own thoughts. "Okay," she succumbed and sat down next to the blonde.

"Fucking hell, I've not got a shiv on me," Allie laughed and gestured at how much space Bea had left between them. She noticed the red head shiver slightly and held the robe open, suggesting for them to share. She could sense Bea was more than hesitant but to her surprise, the top dog sat down inside the robe with her.

Bea broke the silence. "Let me see." She didn't wait for an answer, instead she gently picked up the blonde's hand to inspect. "See, good as new." She grinned.

" _Good as new_?" Allie scoffed out. "It's fucking painful. Will you kiss it better for me?"

Bea glanced sideways but Allie was already silently laughing. "Pain in the arse," Bea mumbled out, though she had a slight grin on her face. She looked down when she felt the back of Allie's hand lay against her own. Allie thought the other hand would move straight away but to her surprise...it didn't.

"Would you...would you tell me about your daughter?" Allie asked tentatively, unsure if that was out of bounds or not.

But Bea only smiled and nodded. "What do you wanna know?"

"Everything," Allie said softly.

And so Bea told her everything, the two of them staying up until almost 5am until Bea felt Allie's head drop on to her shoulder and the slow, steady breath of the sleeping blonde lightly blow out on to her face. Bea only swallowed heavily, it was okay.

She wasn't gay.


	4. Bad to good and good to bad.

_Bridget opened the door to her office. The sight that greeted her made her smile as she turned to lock the door._

_Franky's long leg's were stretched out in front of her, that usual smirk playing on her lips. "You're late, Gidge."_

_"I was talking to Vera," the blonde sweetly explained. She dropped her bag on her desk before making her way over to the brunette._

_Franky took the extended hand but instead of standing, she playfully yanked the smaller woman down on top of her. Bridget only laughed and repositioned so she was straddling the woman underneath her._

_"I missed you," Bridget softly admitted, draping her arms around that long, tanned neck._

_"You saw me like an hour ago," Franky reminded with a laugh. She tightly wrapped her arms around Bridget's waist and laid her head against the smaller womans chest._

_Bridget kissed the soft brunette hair below her. "Sooo... you don't miss me when we're not together?"_

_Franky looked up. "I miss you all the time. The weekends when you're not here and I can't see you... its fuckin' torture."_

_"One more month," Bridget reminded gently. "And then you'll be out... and we can finally be together."_

_"What... what if you change you mind?" Franky asked insecurely, her eyes refusing to look up._

_Bridget shook her head, lips pressing a gentle kiss to the top of the brunettes forehead. "I've waited five months for you, I'm not gonna change my mind now. In fact no... I think I've actually waited my whole life for you." Franky grinned shyly and only pulled her in even tighter. She placed her hands softly on the cheeks below her. "I love you," she whispered out softly._

_"I love yo-"_

Franky bolted upright in her bed at the sound of her cell door being battered, Boomer announcing "it was the fuckin' count in 2 minutes and she had to get up." She swallowed heavily, her breaths coming out unevenly. Shakily, her hand reached down to find the cup of water on the floor beside her bed. The contents were downed rapidly. She quickly stood up, her hands pressing into her head. "What the fuck is happening to me?" Franky whispered to herself. She'd had somewhat similar dreams the past few night but that one was... different. It was intimate and in the dream it seemed like herself and Bridget were actually together. "Get a fucking grip." She pulled her hoodie over her shoulders and with another deep breath made her way out into the unit for the count. 

____________________

"So what are you gonna do to me?" 

Bea dropped the hair dye and scissors, sending them clattering to the floor. "What?" she breathed out heavily, eyes wide at Allie's words. 

Allie just raised an eyebrow. "My hair." She pointed to the long tresses that she had just pulled out from her ponytail. 

Nodding, Bea hastily picked up the items before dumping them on the table next to where Allie was sitting. Where the fuck was Maxine? She could barely get her friend to leave her alone for two minutes and the one time she needed her somewhere, she was nowhere to be found. Bea gently took some of the dirty blonde hair into her hands. The hair was all different lengths; Allie probably hadn't had it cut in a decent while. "What do you want done with it?" 

"I don't care, I trust you." She grimaced at the sight of her hair down in the mirror in front of her. "If you can just try and make me not look homeless, that would be great." 

Bea just laughed. "You don't look homeless."

Allie's eyes went wide, her hands collecting the thick hair that seemed to be everywhere. "Look at it. It's fucking terrible." 

Tilting her head, Bea frowned a little. "Right, yeah, it's not great."

"Thanks for that." Allie smiled sarcastically. 

Rounding to stand in front of the frowning blonde, Bea gently batted Allie's hands away before pulling all the hair forward. "Jesus, I thought I had a lot of hair." She was chopping it she decided. 

"You do," Alie agreed and looked at the red locks in question. She'd almost spat out her coffee yesterday when Bea had walked back into the unit with her newly died blood red hair. It was tied back as usual but the new colour coupled with the edgy undercut just made her look... unbelievable. "What?" she asked as she heard Bea say her name and wave in front of her eyes.

"I said how light do you want it?" Bea asked. She wondered what Allie was thinking about, a slight blush had taken over the blonde's cheeks, which Bea thought was unusual considering how confident the other woman usually was. Coming to think of it, Bea didn't ever think she'd ever seen her blush. 

"Bea," Allie laughed and Bea had to ignore the butterflies the sound gave her. "I trust you so whatever you think. Seriously." She confirmed with a strong nod. 

Unbeknownst to the two inside the room, there were also two outside. "Can you hear anything?" Franky whispered. 

Maxine only rolled her eyes. "If you can't hear anything, obviously I can't either."

"Arsehole," Franky mumbled, though it was without malice. 

"Shit," Maxine exclaimed, nodding at the clicking heels that were coming there way. "Act like we're covering the door for Bea." She smiled sweetly at the woman approaching them. "Miss Westfall. How are you?" 

Franky gave the blonde a once over as she came to stand beside them. Bridget, however, hadn't even looked at her and was only focusing on Maxine. 

"Maxine, please, if one more person calls me Miss... I think I'll go crazy." Bridget admitted with a light laugh. "How are you both?" She glanced at Franky, who was already looking at her, an intense look on her her face. 

"Well, I'm fine. Thank you for asking," Maxine politely responded. "Franky on the other hand..." she trailed off.

Shifting her body, she turned to face the brunette. "And what's up with Franky?" 

Franky drew her teeth between her lip. Why should she even answer? Bridget had point blank avoided her since the day Kim had came back. 

Sensing the slight tension, Maxine broke the silence. "Her ex came back; Kim Chang. And she literally will not leave her alone."

"Hmm," was all Bridget managed to mutter out.

"She's not my ex. She's someone I used to be friends with when she was here and we'd occasionally...," Franky tried to explain but trailed off awkwardly. "Now, I can't get her to leave me alone. But she is not my ex. You can't even have an ex in prison... how would that even work?" 

Maxine raised her eyebrows. "I'm pretty sure it would be just the same as the outside.... two people have feelings... they start a relationship."

"Sorry I don't have a fucking degree in relationships, Maxi." Franky rolled her eyes. This conversation was hardly going to give Bridget a better opinion of her, considering that opinion seemed to have somehow dropped the past few days.

"Right, I'm gonna go in for five minutes so Bea doesn't catch on. Bye, Bridget," Maxine muttered nicely before making her way into the room, leaving the two other women alone in the corridor. "Hi, girls," she entered with a smile. She held up the two bags of chips in her hands and sat them on the table. "Brought you some snacks since I'm guessing you'll be here a while."

"Where have _you_ been?" It was all a bit suspicious, Bea thought. Maxine was usually here every day with her and the one day she was alone with Allie...she was a ghost.

Maxine just smiled despite Bea's glare. "Helping Franky work out. No idea where Boomer is, so I'm holding the back today." She grinned at Allie, who returned it. "In fact, Franky's still there... _alone_. I should probably get back down there with her...don't want her on her own after what happened."

If looks could kill, Maxine would be 6ft under. "No, we don't," her teeth gritted out. Maxine had made a comment in the showers one day about thinking Allie had the hots for her and now she was purposely leaving them alone. "I will kill you," she mouthed to the retreating woman.

"Bye, girls," she said before quickly exiting and losing her life to Bea,

"Bye, Maxine," Allie replied. "Isn't she so sweet?"

Bea only clenched her jaw. " _The sweetest_."

Bridget looked at Franky questioningly...the brunette looked mischievous. "So Bea doesn't catch on to what?"

"Nuthin," Franky shrugged and casually leaned back against the wall. "See ya, then."

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Bridget questioned and folded her arms. She was just annoyed lately, everything seemed to bother her whereas she was usually so laid back.

Franky barked out a fake laugh. "I think that should be my line. Can't actually remember the last time you even stopped to say hi."

By this point in her career, Bridget had the perfect poker face. "Sorry, Franky, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I'm kinda busy anyway, so..." she trailed off. At that exact point, Maxine giddily made her way back out, completely unaware of the tense stare off that was currently going. "Let's go," Franky muttered, her green eyes tightening slightly as she tore them away from Bridget.

Back inside. Bea was thinking of what would look best, With confirmation to... _do whatever she wanted to Allie_. Jesus, she shook her head. Fucking Maxine, she was going to kill her friend for leaving her. Knowing she was going to be taking half the length off the blonde hair, Bea used the scissors to chop it just below Allie's shoulders and applied the blonde dye. Allie was surprisingly quiet as she put the dye in; it was surprising, she usually didn't shut up. "Right, it should take just under an hour to take, I'd say. Sit tight, yeah."

"Hey!" Allie exclaimed loudly as she watched Bea pull her hoodie on. "I'm not sitting here by myself."

"I'm just gonna head to the gym for half an hour." Truth was, they'd spent the other night sitting up till 5am and they'd been the last two to go to bed every night since. She usually took a while to properly talk to people but it was starting to scare her how easy it was with Allie.

Allie huffed. "No, then you'll shower after the gym. All you ever _do_ is shower."

Bea widened her eyes, a teasing smile on her lips. "Because I work out a few times a day, so I need to shower after."

"You can work out here." She motioned to the empty room that had a decent amount of open space if the tables were moved a little.

Raising an eyebrow, Bea looked around. "Can I?" She hopped on to one of the tables, a coy smile playing on her lips. "Do you just talk and talk until you eventually get your own way."

"Yes!" Allie stated proudly. "How have you not realised that by now?"

"Fine." Bea admitted in defeated, much to Allie's happiness. "Why did you miss breakfast today?"

The grin that was on Allie's face slowly fell away. "I just...I wasn't hungry."

"You were sitting eating a bag of chips and biscuits when we came back?" Bea watched the blonde shift uncomfortably in her chair. "Is it Kaz? Is she giving you shit?"

Allie shook her head. "It's not Kaz exactly. I mean, she's not happy that I'm spending time with you guys...but it's not really that." She debated it for a few seconds but she knew deep down she could trust Bea. She'd told her about Mercado and the drugs, and Bea had kept her promise. "It's just...she's taken Ferguson in like she does when she feels sorry for someone...says she's a victim and needs to be protected."

Bea shook her head in irritation. "Allie, listen to me and _trust_ me...that woman is no victim. You have no idea of what she's done and what she's capable." She went on to tell Allie the full story of what exactly had happened when the Freak was in charge. "I don't like Kaz, I think that's pretty obvious, but you can still be friends with her without being around Ferguson."

"No, I can't," Allie argued back. "I went to H3 yesterday and it was fine, I was talking to Kaz but as soon as Ferguson came in, she asked her to come sit with us, so I made an excuse and left."

How the fuck had that psychopath gotten Kaz on her side, what kind of shit had she fed her? "So you talk to Kaz and you tell her you're not comfortable around that maniac, and then...you sit with us."

Again, Allie shook her head. "And then what? She has a go at you and says you've turned me against her?"

Bea only laughed. "I couldn't give a fuck. You think I'm scared of Kaz? Allie, H1 don't see themselves as a _crew_ like Kaz and Juice do; we're literally like family. All of us have been through hell and back together. Franky and I are best friends but we've almost killed each other. Liz and Boomer are like mother and daughter, and Boomer's bashed her before. Fuck, even Maxi had to beat the shit out of me when Franky and I were going at it."

"Does that mean someone has to bash me for me to officially be a member of H1?" Allie asked with a slight grimace on her face.

"That's why I brought you here today?" Bea said with a straight face and held it...then smiled lightly.

Allie threw the towel that was sitting in her lap, it landing gently against Bea's chest. "Fuck off." Bea jumped off the table, tossing the towel up and down. Allie noticed the red head couldn't really sit still for long. "I wanna see how many push ups you can do." Her blue eyes twinkled as Bea laughed a little, a tinge of red hitting her cheeks.

"What? So you can stare at me?" She threw the towel back at Allie who caught it easily.

"Exactly," Allie grinned, pointing at the empty space on the floor. "You get to work out and I get to enjoy the sight...everybody wins."

Bea just rolled her eyes, she was kind of getting used to Allie's flirty nature by now. Before she got a chance to respond, Allie had stood up and forced her to face the door. "Right, are you ready?"

"For what?" Bea asked but barely got the words out as Allie's full weight jumped on her back. "Fucking hell." She staggered slightly, Allie really hadn't jumped very well.

"Pull me up. I'm slipping." Allie held on tight as Bea hoisted her up firmly. Jesus, she was strong. "Right...bench press me like...twenty times."

Bea held her grip her grip firm. "Twenty? Is that it?"

"Oh, you think you're _better_ than twenty?" Allie questioned challengingly. She squealed as Bea pretended to drop her before easily catching her again. "Bea!"

"Saying that, you are kinda heavy; twenty might be a challenge," Bea teased, only to have her shoulder lightly slammed. "I'm kidding. You're not heavy."

Allie smiled into Bea's thick hair. "Right...fifty. You up for the challenge?"

This was what she had realised...it was just too easy. Allie brought out a side of her she didn't really know she had. She kind of reminded her of Franky in a way... except Franky didn't flirt when she was being _Franky_. And Franky didn't give her a weird feeling in her stomach every time she looked at her. "Fine fifty. You keep count." She had to grip Allie's thighs...they didn't have as much muscle as her own but they were completely toned from what she could feel. Her mind flashed back to that day in the showers; she had saw those naked thighs, she knew how toned and lightly tanned they were. Allie's steady breath on her neck was making it hard to focus, she was counting in her head but went from eighteen to eleven so she really had no idea how many she'd actually managed so far.

Every now and then, Bea readjusted her causing her centre to bump against the red heads back. "Jesus Christ." Allie was gay, so she could appreciate why a lot of women seemed to fawn over Franky; the brunette was attractive and she had the confident, cheeky personality to match her looks. But Bea...Bea had been the one who had caught Allie's eye from day one...from the day she'd walked in and she'd saw that red hair, those cheekbones that could cut glass, those brown eyes she knew were capable of softening when Bea wasn't in _top dog_ mode. The Bea she'd met on day one was totally different to the woman she was with just now. She was currently whispering nonsense into Beas's ear and every so often Bea would half drop her causing her to laugh every time. "You better not actually drop me," she threatened playfully.

This time Bea had to close her eyes. Allie's lips had brushed against the shell of her ear as she spoke...the same ear she'd taken between her teeth that day in the showers. God, it seemed like a lifetime ago when she thought about it now. She was close to bashing Allie that day and now the thought of anyone trying to hurt the woman on her back made her feel immense anger. "Right, that's forty, ay?" She was slightly out of breath but blamed most of that on Allie and not the actual squats.

"It's thirty two, dickhead. Can you not count?" Allie lied. She might've took a few off for her own personal reasons.

"Why don't you try this after me and see how far you get?!" Bea shot back, though Allie could tell by this point if Bea was actually annoyed or not...and she wasn't. She counted a further eighteen and let out a heavy breath.

Allie slid down gently, her hands brushing down the red heads arms as she did so. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Bea was leaning against the desk lightly panting. She was sure she'd done at least seventy there...had she just been played? "Fucking hell," she puffed out, leaning her elbows on the table. Once she had got her breath back, she removed the foils from Allie's hair and began to wash it. The blonde let out a relaxed sigh every now and then as her fingers massaged her scalp.

"God, that feels so good," Allie sighed in pleasure.

Fucking hell...that feeling was back. that feeling of pure arousal as she was forced to listen to Allie's groans until she was done with the conditioner. She was glad Allie couldn't see her face because she knew, without even looking, that it was currently scarlett. She hadn't cut her for a long time but it was like muscle memory in her hands. Finally, after what felt like ten years. she was done.

"Fuck, I love it," Allie exclaimed as she ran her hands through her now shoulder length light blonde hair. "You're really fucking good. And you have the hands of a god, by the way." 

Bea collected the items that were currently spread over the table. Why had she agreed to this? Allie looked even better than she previously did.

What had her own talents done to her?

_____________________________________

Franky thanked Mr Jackson and slumped down into the green chair. She'd been dreading the session since yesterday... things were just awkward between them just now. 

"Anything you wanna talk about?" Bridget asked as she sat down in the opposite chair. 

"Nuh," Franky shook her head defiantly. If Bridget was going to stop making effort with her then she'd do the exact same. Was it immature? Yes. Was she still going to do it? Yes. 

Bridget could sense the distant, uninterested tone a mile away. She had to bite back a groan of shock as Franky started completely relacing her converse. She might have been a bit dry with Franky lately but surely she hadn't been this bad? 

"Do you have any interest at all in even being here today?" Bridget questioned. There was a bite to her tone, something which Franky vaguely recalled that night in the Medical Unit but it had never been directed at her.

Franky leaned her elbows on her knees and looked Bridget directly in the eyes. "Nope." She watched as the blonde's face slightly flared. "So, can I go? Save us both wasting our time?" 

Bridget thought it over before answering, "No, you can't. I let you miss a group session out of good will and our last one on one you didn't even fully complete so for that, you're gonna add the time on from last week's session. So, today's will be an hour and a half." 

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Franky's mouth was agape. "That's not a thing. You can't just make up rules to these things as you want." 

"Well, considering the fact that they're my sessions....Yes, I can," Bridget argued back. These sessions with Franky had been a disaster so far; they'd made barely any progress and now they were practically in the middle of a domestic.

Franky just laughed in that sarcastic way that currently made Bridget's blood boil. "You can keep me here as long as you want, _Bridget_. But you can't force me to talk."

"Okay," Bridget gritted her teeth. "What's the problem? Somethings obviously bothering you, so come on."

Franky looked bewildered. " _My_ problem?" She wasn't a psychologist but she wasn't going to be convinced that she had acted any differently since the last time they'd properly saw each other. "You've been avoiding me any chance you get. I try and talk to you to say hi and you don't even look at me. And that's been since...the day Kim came back." Bridget's gaze faltered for the slightest of seconds but Franky was like a hawk and didn't miss it at all. "So... _you_ tell me what the problem is?"

"I've been busy." It was a lie, they both knew it. Bridget could barely maintain eye contact and Franky couldn't stop shaking her head.

"You're lying," Franky accused. She stood up from her chair and rounded to stand directly in front of Bridget.

Bridget chanced a glance up. "I'm not lying, Franky."

"Bullshit, you aren't!" She leaned her hands down on the edges of Bridget's chair. "Tell me."

Blue eyes closed tightly. "Franky, return to your seat. Right now."

"What are you afraid of?" Franky waited for a response but it never came, instead Bridget stood up from her chair. The gaze only a few inches away had gone from angry to soft, expectant almost. 

Bridget was struggling with how close they were. She was struggling with everything about this entire thing, if she was being honest with herself. "I was lying. It's not because I've been busy," she whispered out. She looked away, almost feeling like she was going to be sick. She was about to tell a prisoner she had developed romantic feelings. A soft hand lightly touched the bottom of her jaw, forcing her to meet those green eyes she saw every time she closed her own.

"Tell me," Franky asked gently, her hands gently moving to touch the soft skin of Bridget's cheek.

The door flew open like a rocket, Franky dropping her hand as fast as she could. "Franky," Kim slurred out. Jake quickly walked in behind her when he heard her say another prisoners name and not Bridget's.

"Kim, this is a private session. You cannot be in here!" Bridget exclaimed. She looked at Jake for an explanation. Luckily, he'd came in a a few seconds later and didn't notice how close they'd been standing.

"I'm so sorry, Bridget," Jake said and lightly took Kim's arm. "I had no idea you with in here with Doyle and she told me she had a session with you. I believed her. I'm sorry."

Bridget held her hands up. "Jake, it's fine. It's not your fault. You don't have access to my schedule so you wouldn't know." She'd need to fix that immediately...perhaps post a picture in the staff room so something like _this_ didn't happen again. 

"Franky," Kim cried out, attempting to get to the brunette but Jake held her firmly in place.

"Jake, could you wait outside for a few minutes before taking Kim back. I just want to have a quick chat." She could hear Franky in her ear asking her what the hell she was doing. Kim tried to make her way to Franky who was currently standing behind Bridget, trying to stay as far away as possible. "Kim, if you ever pull a stunt like that again, I'll report you immediately. Do you understand?"

Kim nodded sadly and began to cry. "I just want Franky."

That was all Franky needed. She could tell by the way she walked in, the way she was currently talking; Kim was off her face.

There were drugs back in Wentworth.

"Kim, whatever goes on with you and Franky is your business, but if you're making advances and she's saying no, then you have to respect that," Bridget explained as best she could. She didn't know if is was just because Kim was upset, but the woman seemed way off. "Kim, has Franky responded to your advances?" Her heart was hammering as she awaited the answer. Even if Franky was saying they weren't involved, who was to say she hadn't gave in even just once when Kim had been back.

"No!" Kim practically screamed. "I told her I came back to be with her and she doesn't want anything to do with me."

At this, Franky cut in. "I said we could be friends, like we always had been. I didn't say I wanted nothing to do with you. I was happy to be your friend, Kim. I just don't want anything...sexual anymore."

Kim just continued to cry. "But I love you. I only came back here to be with you."

"I never asked you to do that." Finally, Franky noticed Bridget looked like herself again...like whatever had been weighing her down was suddenly gone. Fucking hell, did Bridget really feel the same way?

"You only get bored when you find a new fuck!" Kim spat harshly. "So, who is she? Cause I'll fucking kill her."

At that, Franky flinched...because what if somehow Kim caught on that the reason Franky physically couldn't touch her even if she tried was currently standing in the room.

"Kim, you have to go now. Franky has made her feelings clear, and we're in the middle of a session. If you're struggling, I'd be more than happy to talk to you, but not now."

Kim vigorously shook her head. "You're trying to take her away from me," the small brunette accused with brown eyes. "You don't want us to be together."

"Kim, I'm a fucking adult," Franky stepped in, trying her best to defer. "I can make my own decisions. Why the fuck would it have anything to do with the prison shrink." She flinched slightly at her own words but knew it was the only way to get Kim off the trail she was currently on.

"You looked pretty fucking close when I came in," Kim fired back, her wild eyes turning to the blonde.

Franky laughed. " _Breathing exercises._ " She pointed to the door. "Go sleep it off, Kim. And you tell whoever gave you that shit that they're fucking done for."

Kim, however, stood her ground and glared between the both of them. By this point, Bridget had enough. She took a few steps forward towards Kim. "You need to leave, Kim." There was no movement though. "Mr Stewart," Bridget called out, to which he entered straight away. Franky noticed Kim's hand movement immediately and rushed forward, pulling Bridget into her body and spinning them so the shiv would get her instead. Mr Stewart was just as quick and got to Kim before she had a chance to get either of them.

"Sierra 5, calling Sierra 2. I need back up in Miss Westfall's office immediately," Jake called out over his radio. Kim was screaming on the floor beneath him. Franky had pushed Bridget as far to the back of the office as possible before stepping forward and picking up the shiv, making sure there was no chance Kim could get hold of it again.

Will was one to respond, "Copy that, Sierra 5. On my way." Will was there in under two minutes, by which point Jake had also called Medical to let them know a prisoner would need sedated on arrival. "Bridget, I need to call Vera and you have to give a statement. She attempted to attack you, you need to report it straight away," Jake stated before radioing for the Governor. "Franky, make sure Vera gets that shiv." Will and Jake hoisted Kim up before leading her screaming and kicking body out of the office. 

"What does he mean she tried to attack me?" Bridget asked in confusion. Her adrenaline was through the roof; all she could remember was Franky pulling her forward.

Franky pointed to the shiv that was sat on the desk, out of the way. "She came at you with a shiv."

Bridget was confused. "Why did you go towards it?"

"So she got me instead of you. If he didn't tackle her, she would've went for your throat. She would have killed you." Franky watched the realisation come over the flustered blonde's face. "You're in shock, you should sit down."

"I'm not in shock," Bridget fired back hastily. "I just didn't know what happened. I'd already turned around." Franky had essentially just taken a bullet for her and she didn't seem the least bit phased. "Why did you do that? You could've died if she got you." she stated softly.

Franky looked up, surprised to see tears pooling in those sad blue eyes. She gave a nonchalant shrug. "Don't ask questions that you already know the answer to," she replied back, just as softly.

Before Bridget could respond, Vera and two officers appeared at the door. "Bridget," she exclaimed heavily. "Thank god you're okay. Jake said you turned your back and she came at you with a shiv. Are you alright?"

"Im fine," Bridget forced out a smile. She looked at Franky but the brunette was staring a hole in the floor. "Franky stepped in front of it. She pulled me out of the way and put herself in my position."

Vera turned to Franky, who pointed at the shiv on the desk. Vera asked Linda to take the shiv and seal it in an evidence bag. "Well done, Doyle. Saving a prison employee from getting shivved; I think you pretty much just guaranteed yourself parole." Franky didn't say anything, only shrugged in response and stayed quiet and she listened to Vera and Bridget talk for a few minutes.

"Can I go back to my unit?" Franky leaned up off the desk, still refusing to meet Bridget's gaze.

"You can," Vera confirmed with a nod. "Bridget, do you want to wait in my office while I take Franky back?" Franky was out of the office before Bridget had a chance to say anything else to her. "You'll have to come to my office straight after Miss Westfall to give your statement, okay?" Again, Franky only nodded but remained silent.

"Franky,' Vera pulled them to a stop. "You potentially just saved her life. You should be proud of yourself."

"Jake got to Kim just as quick as I got to Bridget; he did as much as I did." She started to slowly walk again until they were back into the usual corridors. "I'll be fine from here. You should get back to Bridget. Vera nodded, reminding her someone would come and get her soon. "Miss Bennett," Franky called out and walked back towards Vera. She looked around to make sure no one dodgy was around. "Kim was off her face...there's drugs back in here."

Vera's eyes closed tight.

Fuck.

___________________________________

Joan stumbled her way back to her unit. She and Brody had just orchestrated another part of their plan in which he'd purposely pushed her face several times; she could feel the blood coming from her nose, a smirk coming across her face. Kaz rushed up immediately when she saw Joan enter. "Joan, what the fuck happened to you?"

Dismissively, Joan waved her hand and made her way into her cell. "Please don't worry about me." Again, she couldn't help but smile quickly as Kaz followed her. "Kaz, please, you've done enough for me. I don't want to bother you."

"You're not bothering me, Joan," Kaz said gently and ushered the woman to sit on the bed. She went about cleaning the woman's wounds, remarking that they were mainly superficial. "You're lucky; this could have been a lot worse."

Joan nodded once. "He stopped when he heard voices coming. I was lucky." She watched as Kaz's eyes darkened as she said the word _he_. "Thank you for being such a good friend, Kaz. You've been more than kind to me."

"It was Jackson wasn't it?" Kaz asked angrily. Fake tears ran down Joans face causing Kaz to scream. "I fucking knew it. I've said since day one that he was a dodgy fucker." She leaned down on the floor, hands gently resting over Joan's cheeks. "He won't ever hurt you again. Now, I want you to stay here. One of the girls is gonna sit with you."

And the plan was in motion. Juice - who had started off by treating her like shit - had guaranteed she wouldn't be touched as long as the drugs kept coming. Joan sighed sweetly. "Everything is falling into place," she whispered to herself.

"Oh, fuck here we go," Boomer nodded to the fuming blonde coming towards their table.

"There's the two top dogs," Kaz exclaimed sarcastically as she stopped at their table in the yard.

Franky waved sweetly. "Here we are. Although, I actually heard you were needed in medical. Yeah... they decided you've got the most fucking annoying voice that's ever existed so you've to head off there just now and they're gonna do a small procedure to remove your voice box...y'know, so you actually shut the fuck up for once and we all get some peace."

Boomer cackled and banged her hands against the table, even Bea let out a heavy laugh. Allie, who was currently sitting next to Bea, looked away in an attempt to keep the smirk off her face. Franky had thoroughly ripped Kaz to shreds.

"You think you're funny?" Kaz questioned Franky.

Franky plastered her infamous cocky grin on her face. "Aww, I'm hilarious, Kazzy. Maybe buy yourself a sense of humour with your next spend and do us all a favour."

"Your fucking boyfriend, Will Jackson," Kaz began, turning her attention to Bea. "He's just beaten up Joan Ferguson."

The table howled with laughter which only riled Kaz even more. "You all think it's fucking funny...that a guard just beat up an innocent woman." Her eyes suddenly landed on Allie, like it dawned on her that the blonde was there. "Allie, what the fuck are you doing with these arseholes? The two top dogs that are meant to protect the women don't give a fuck that a guard attacked a prisoner."

"Hey, it's a shame whoever did do her in didn't have a buy one get one free, so they'd have done you as well, ay?" Boomer remarked causing Franky to laugh heavily.

"Kaz, go and check his knuckles and you'll see no signs of any _beating_ ," Bea pointed out, shaking her head. "She's playing you like a fucking fiddle and you're letting her."

Kaz looked at the red head in disgust. "Victims a liar. Fuck, don't think I've heard that before."

"That fuckin' psycho is far from a victim." Franky stood up from the table but didn't move from her position. "Now, can you fuck off...cause I'm kinda waiting on one card here and I'd really like to win." She sat back down and gave a mocking thumbs up. "Great chat as always though, Kaz."

"Fuckin' pathetic," Kaz yelled out. "Allie, let's go."

Allie hesitated and looked around. Underneath the table, she felt Bea's hand cover her own - that seemed to give her the courage she needed. "I don't want to. I don't wanna be around that woman, Kaz; I don't trust her and she scares me."

"You're choosing _them_ over me...your best friend? After everything I've done for you?" Kaz looked at the blonde, waiting for an explanation.

"Kaz, you are my friend...but so are they." She looked around the table and she felt...safe. "I love you, you know that. But I'm not being around Ferguson, so as long as she's around you...I'm not. Don't you think it's strange that this place has been clean of drugs for months, yet as soon as Ferguson appears, there's drugs again. She's fucking orchestrating everything. Why can't you see that?"

Kaz only continued to hurl abuse at Bea and Franky before she turned around to leave. Allie had tears brimming in her eyes. "Fuck. She's gonna go tell that psycho what I said. You've all said what she's capable of. She's gonna fucking come after me."

"She's not gonna touch you," Bea said firmly. She looked at Franky for approval.

"Allie, as long as you stick with us...nothing will happen to you," Franky promised. She watched on as Allie continued to voice her fears about Ferguson but they all reassured her. Bea was the one she paid most attention to though. Something was definitely going on there.

The grip on her hand tightened forcing her to look up at the worried looking red head. "You okay?" she was asked gently.

"I'm fucking scared," Allie admitted, her voice cracking as she tried to speak. Bea had pulled her up, telling the others they were going for a walk. She didn't remember how they got there but suddenly they were in Bea's cell.

"Sit," Bea instructed, gesturing to the bed. "You have to trust me when I say nothing is gonna happen to you."

Allie pulled her knees up to her chest. "You can't guarantee that...neither can Franky. You don't know what Kaz is capable of and she's gonna see this as me choosing you over her, so obviously she's gonna go back to Ferguson and tell her what happened."

"Kaz doesn't scare me," Bea admitted with a half hearted shrug.

"Fucking nothing scares you." Allie's hand rubbed at the extremely soft red blanket that Bea had covering her bed.

Slowly, Bea sat down on the bed. "When my daughter died, I didn't care about anything...even if I died, I just didn't care. When I shot Brayden Holt and knew I'd be in here for the rest of my life, I didn't care. Nothing phased me anymore, nothing scared me - I didn't give a shit. But, I do now. I have people that I love and the thought of anything happening to them, especially because of my position...that terrifies me." In a short space of time, Allie had became one of the people she was scared of losing. The younger blonde was like a breath of fresh air and she's caused a storm inside of her since she'd first laid eyes on her. "You've obviously been worried about things. Why don't you try sleep for a bit? Maybe you'll feel better if you get some sleep."

"Would you stay...for a bit?" Allie asked shyly.

Could she do that? Sure, Allie flirted and teased but ever since shower-gate, she'd never actually tried to make any sort of move on her. Maybe Allie was just the flirty type and had chosen her to be her target? But that would mean Allie wasn't currently feeling the same way as she was; like she wanted to lay down with her but was also terrified and wanted to bolt at the same time. She watched as Allie lay down, pulling _her_ red blanket over her. Bea lay down slowly in the same position as Allie, both on their backs. She looked at the other woman but her eyes were heavy and almost closed. She didn't realise how tired she was until she'd actually lay down. Resting her eyes for a bit wouldn't hurt.

_ATTENTION COMPOUND! ATTENTION COMPOUND! H BLOCK ARE NOW CALLED FOR DINNER!_

Brown eyes fluttered open at the announcement. The smell of coconut immediately invaded her senses. Her entire body went rigid when she realised Allie's head was resting on her chest, that being where the smell was coming from as she'd used coconut shampoo earlier when doing her hair. There was a soft hand resting under her tank top, somehow Allie's hand had decided that was the comfiest spot. Her own left arm was encircled around Allie's shoulders and their legs were entwined underneath the blanket. It was hard to control her breathing; she was cuddling with a woman and it was the most content she'd felt since Debbie was alive. The feeling in her gut actually made Bea feel _alive_ , not like she was just existing.

The announcement rang out two more times causing Allie to adjust slightly and suddenly there was a warm breath on her neck as the blonde only cuddled in closer. Could she get up without waking the still sleeping woman? She shifted ever so slightly and her answer was suddenly confirmed. No, she could not.

Because Allie was now awake.

"Why are you moving?" Allie groaned out, her voice thick with sleep. It was the best sleep she'd had...since she could remember.

"Dinner," fell from Bea's lips. Her eyes were wide as all she could do was stare at a spot on her cell ceiling.

Allie only sighed. "We can get something later." The warm body next to her was out of the bed in a flash and Bea was frantically pulling her hoodie on. "Are you okay?"

"Nothing's gonna happen between us," Bea spat out, a little harsher then intended. She watched the hurt flash across Allie's eyes. "I'm not gay."

"Why do you need a label?" Allie sat up slightly. Bea was silent and headed for the door. "How did you feel when you saw me kissing Franky?"

Bea paused, her hand inches away from the handle. "I didn't care. Why would I?" Lies...it was all just complete lies. Maybe she wasn't gay but could she say she was 100% straight when she had these feelings she currently felt? No.

"It didn't bother you at all?" When Bea shook her head, Allie sat up straight and continued. "It doesn't bother you that your best friend knows what it's like to kiss me but you don't? That she had her hands all over me and all you could do was stand there-"

"SHUT UP!" Bea yelled loudly, her hand slamming heavily into the door. She was almost shaking with rage, unable to look at Allie. Fight or flight, she had to decide.

Flight.

"I'm going to dinner."

Allie laid back heavily on to the bed, her hands coming up to cover face as tears began to spill out from her eyes. She pulled the red blanket tightly around her and silently cried into Bea's pillow. How had they had the day they'd had only for it to end like this?

___________________________________

Hesitantly, Bridget made her way into H1. It was the end of her shift and she'd sat in her office for half an hour before she'd mustered up the courage to be where she currently was now; at the entrance to H1. "Hi," she announced her presence. They all responded in kind. Everyone was there apart from Bea and Franky.

"Are you okay?" Maxine asked softly.

"Yeah, love. You must of been terrified." Liz offered her a sympathetic smile.

Boomer nodded. "Franky's a fuckin' hero, ay? She's just like so fuckin' fearless. I'm like straight and that yeah, but it's way obvious why every lezzo in here has the hots for her."

Bridget could only exhale heavily; it was like there wasn't an hour in the day where someone didn't tell her how every gay or bi woman in the prison had the hots for Franky.

Allie nodded in agreement. "Yeah she is fearless. But she's not even being _Franky_ about it...she's totally playing it down."

"Hey, you know who Franky totally is?" Boomer grinned heavily. "That...that warrior princess chick from TV years ago."

"Xena?" Maxine offered up.

Allie groaned. "I would totally do Xena; she was like my first girl crush." And her current girl crush had been in her cell since dinner and hadn't left it once.

"Is _Xena_ here?" Bridget teased lightly. Liz confirmed she was in her cell reading. Sensing Bridget's unsureness, she pointed to what was Franky's cell. She lightly knocked, hearing a faint "yeah" come from the other side, she made her way inside and clicked the door shut behind her. Franky was on her small single bed wearing only a tank top and a pair of her baggy teal trousers that had been cut into shorts. She tried her hardest not to look but those legs were so painfully long and toned all over.

"What's up?" Franky muttered to whoever was currently standing in her cell.

Bridget cleared her throat. "Hi," came the soft, husky greeting.

Was this another dream? Franky sat the book down and sat up on her bed. "Hey."

Bridget glanced around the small room, her eyes stopping at the board covered in half naked women. She raised her eyebrows to which Franky just shyly grinned. "Boomer," she explained and turn to sit up properly, swinging her legs to rest on the floor. "She thinks because I'm gay, I can't live without half naked girls all over my wall."

"Ah, of course. I have the same design at home actually," Bridget said mockingly, which made Franky laugh wholeheartedly. The sound sent shivers down Bridget's spine. She hadn't heard Franky laugh in so long...and she missed it. "I know you're busy but I just wanted to say thank you...for earlier."

Nodding, Franky gave a tight smile. "No worries." No other words could find their way into her mouth, she was nervous and her palms had started to sweat.

"Why are you playing it down so much?" Bridget had unconsciously made her way further into the room, which she hadn't noticed she'd done.

But Franky had as she traced the click of every step those heels took. "I'm not," she admitted quietly. "I was...scared."

"You nearly got shivved; I'd be scared, too." Bridget leaned back against the side wall.

Franky shook her head. "I wasn't scared for me." And suddenly, it was out there and the tension in the small cell changed massively. Franky stood up, silently thanking her legs for not giving out. "Since when do you do house calls, anyway?" She tried to break the tension but Bridget only tilted her head before moving off the wall. "Would you do this for any of the women?"

"Why are you asking questions you already know the answers to?" Bridget answered softly, repeating Franky's earlier words.

Swallowing heavily, Franky took a small step forward and Bridget's arms had encircled around her waist. It took her a second to reciprocate the hug but after a few seconds she wrapped her longer arms around Bridget's shoulders. Franky was taller, even with Bridget in her heels.

"You smell nice," Bridget admitted, her lips brushing against Franky's neck as she spoke.

Franky smiled. "The perks of being top dog, Gidge; we get the good shower gel." The dreams were nothing like the reality. _This,_ having Bridget in her arms...was so much better than anything she'd ever imagined.

They just let themselves be before Franky's cell door was opened. Bea immediately closed it behind her when she saw the sight. Bridget's eyes were filled with fear as she reluctantly forced herself away from Franky. Bea, however, stopped her before she left, "Hey," she said softly and nodded towards Franky. "She's my best friend. You don't have to worry about anything."

Bridget nodded gratefully, an easy sigh leaving her body. She half turned her body, meeting Franky's eyes. "Thank you, again. Goodnight."

"Night," Franky replied, leaving just herself and Bea alone. "I think I need to talk to you."

Bea nodded. "About the blonde that just left?" Franky gave a hesitant, shy nod. "Good, because I need to talk to you, too."

"About the blonde that's sitting out there?" Franky questioned in return.

Nodding furiously, Bea watched as Franky jumped backwards on to the bed. She went and joined her, their shoulders touching as that side by side.

"Who's making the noodles?"

It was going to be a long night.

_____________________________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've been watching clips of both couples on youtube to try and gauge how many scenes too place before certain things happened, but Bridget herself admitted in 6x03 that she'd been in love with Franky since their first session so I guess I'm trying to write what comes organically. I'm really trying to make Bea less "top dog" Bea and more the Bea we saw her with when her and Allie were together as we just didn't get enough of it. I'm planning to make the next chapter a biggish one involving one of the big four actually getting shivved, Kim seeking revenge, one of the big four missing during a code black...and them potentially being the code black. In the background scenes, the drugs are back up, Kaz is hating on will, and Vera still hasn't told anyone she's pregnant. This was Fridget kind of going through their rough patch whilst Ballie have just entered there's. Also, Xena was totally my first girl crush so Xena needed a nod especially as Danielle had a part in the show. Stay tuned and stay safe, everyone!
> 
> WWFan10.


	5. Fight or Flight

The knuckles wrapped around the sugar jar were painfully white, the hand gripping it was starting to cramp from the force of the grip as she glanced every few seconds at the sight behind her.

The kettle was boiling and so was Bea's blood.

It had been two weeks since she'd woken up beside Allie and they hadn't spoke a single word to each other since. The first few days Allie had tried to make light conversation but Bea had either nodded yes or no instead of actually answering her. Since then...nothing. It was her own fault and she knew it. She'd panicked at waking up next to a woman and then panicked even more when she realised she wanted to do it again. She'd been completely shit to Allie in those few days so she really couldn't blame the blonde for not making an effort. What if she moved on? Even the thought made her sick. The prison was filled with lesbians, bisexuals, and "gate gays," and Allie was beyond stunning - she could have her pick of anyone if she wanted to.

After her long talk with Franky the night she caught her intimately hugging Bridget Westfall of all people in her best friends cell, Franky had admitted her feelings for the psychologist. She didn't use the word love but the way Franky spoke about the woman...her best friend had fallen hard, and with the most unexpected person.

So, why did it bother her that Franky and Allie were currently playing cards together? Franky was just being her usual self, acting the same way she would if it was Liz or Maxine she was playing with...but Franky was naturally the most charming fucking person to ever exist, and it was worse because she didn't even realise it. She didn't realise that _Franky_ smile that showed off her dimples and perfect teeth could make about 90% of the women in here fall in love with her in two seconds flat. She'd made a point of asking Liz how Franky and Kim had started their friends with benefits set up when they had it. Liz had told her Kim had entered the prison a nice young girl who spoke of her boyfriend on the outside and that Franky hadn't chased or pursued her in any way; Kim had simply fallen for Franky's natural charm and then apparently fallen even further. It didn't make her feel the slightest bit better after hearing it because what if Allie happened to just simply _fall_ for Franky?

Bea had entered the unit five minutes ago after working out and then showering. She'd since been stood in the kitchen and had boiled the kettle three times in those five minutes. Franky had asked her if she was okay and she'd managed to respond normally. She was going to make an effort. She was an adult - she could do this.

"Does anybody want tea or coffee?" She turned around to face the two playing cards. 

Franky looked up, but Allie did not. "Oh yeah, go for tea, ay?"

Bea looked at the blonde who hadn't looked in her direction. "Allie?" Silence. At this, Franky looked at the woman across from her; she was focusing on those cards like her life depended on it. Franky then looked at Bea who met her gaze, the brunette just widened her eyes. "Allie?! Do you want tea or coffee?"

Eventually, Allie looked up. And even Franky was shocked at the anger on her face. "I'm sorry. Have you actually remembered that I'm a person that exists?"

Bea breathed heavily. "Im just...trying to be nice," she offered up.

"Well, that's a fucking first," Allie fired back, dropping the pile of cards in her hands to the table heavily before raising her gaze to stare a hole right through Bea.

Jesus. "I'm gonna," Franky muttered out awkwardly as she rose from her chair and tucked it back in neatly. Both sets of eyes had turned to look at her as she walked backwards towards the entrance of the unit. "I'm gonna go...uh. Yeah, I'm just going anywhere that isn't here. Good luck with _this_ though." She practically sprinted out of the unit before any of the two forced her two stay. She knew Bea had feelings and was struggling. Hell, even Boomer had noticed the tension between them.

Allie got up as well and made her way towards her cell, ignoring Bea completely as she called out her name. She closed her cell door behind her as she walked through but Bea had quickly entered. "Allie?"

"No!" Allie stated firmly as she turned around to face the now startled red head. "You don't get to pick and choose when you want to talk to me. I tried with you for days and you blanked me like I was a nobody." She sat on her bed and avoided Bea's gaze, knowing fully she'd break down if she did. The past two weeks had been killing her and having Bea in her cell wasn't helping. "You can go now. I don't have anything to say to you."

"Allie, please. Can we just-"

Allie held her hand up firmly. "No! We can't! You're not the one that's gonna end up hurt, so please...just go, Bea."

How wrong that was, because she'd been in a constant state of hurt but Allie had no idea. Allie had no idea that her first and last thought every day was her. Allie didn't have a clue how she felt because she didn't have the guts to tell her. "I'm not trying to hurt you."

"But you are!" Allie yelled sadly. She blinked to stop the tears from pooling at her eyes. "I'm not playing this hot and cold game with you, especially when you're the fucking reason I'm in this shit hole!" The last part was a slip up, it wasn't meant. But she'd said it now and she couldn't take it back.

Confusion took over Bea's entire features. "What do you mean? Away from Kaz...here in H1 - you blame me?"

Allie stood up with force. "No! I'm talking about you fucking _shopping_ Kaz, which in turn...landed me in here."

The breath was almost knocked out of Bea as she looked into the fuming blue eyes in front of her. "You think I shopped you?"

"Who the fuck else would it have been?" Allie asked, her shoulders shrugging as she expected an answer.

Bea opened and closed her mouth a few times before she responded, "I...I've got no idea. The last time Kaz visited me was the last time I even thought about her." That was the truth - she didn't care enough about Kaz or her RRH to do anything about it.

Allie shook her head. "Y'know, you walk around here and everybody sees you as this badass, hardcore top dog...but all you are is a fucking _coward_!" The words were filled with pure venom and they caused Bea to flinch slightly. "You don't even have the guts to admit you actually felt something between us."

Unable to hold the gaze, Bea looked at the floor. All she had to say was _I do feel something_ and maybe they could actually try and talk. But she couldn't...no words could leave her mouth as much as she tried to force them out.

"You need to leave me alone." Allie returned to sit on the bed. "Get out of my cell, please."

Bea was in a daze as she made her way to her own cell. Before she knew it, she was laying on top of her own bed. She'd heard Allie's cell door open and close at one point, meaning the blonde had likely left the unit. Why was it so hard to just admit she felt something? Her friends made her happy in that normal way that friends do...but Allie was totally different. Any time she was with Allie, she didn't want to leave her. She'd never been a person that enjoyed intimacy of any level but any time they'd touched hands or cuddled that day, Bea found herself unable to think straight. Allie was right; she was a coward. It didn't matter that Allie was a woman...because she was a woman who was kind, caring, funny, stunning, and she'd managed to make Bea feel things she'd never felt in the short time they'd known each other.

She'd had a chance with the perfect woman and she'd blew it...because she was a coward.

______________________________________

"So, you won't even fucking look at me now. Is that's what's going on?" Allie only continued to walk. As much as she did want to talk and be normal with Kaz...Kaz was incapable of being normal when she was angry. And she'd had enough from her argument with Bea earlier - she didn't have the energy for this.

"Kaz, I want to talk to you, but I don't wanna argue with you. She turned the corner, only to get a glimpse of Ferguson surrounded by a crowd of junkies. What the hell was going on? She stopped firmly, making Kaz bump into the back of her. "Something's going on there." Kaz didn't understand, so she popped her head out to see what Allie could see...the reaction only made her roll her eyes but Allie was quick to cut in before Kaz could talk, "Just fucking listen to what they're saying with me. Please?" Kaz looked unsure but as soon as she looked at those blue eyes, she nodded.

"Now, we have a small hiccup that has come into our midst but nothing that cannot be handled." Joan stated as she towered over every single one of them. "Novak...has been put in H1 and as we all know...Kaz and I have recently become _extremely_ close friends." She smirked tightly causing a few of the women to laugh. "Tina, you are to take care of Doyle as discussed. And this time, please finish the job. They are weak not only physically without her but also mentally. Bea Smith will lose yet another person she loves and the cracks will start to show."

Tina nodded. "We take down Doyle today - finish her off once and for all."

"Excellent." Joan turned to Juice. "Once we finish this little meeting, you and your _boys_ are to cause the distraction needed." Juice only grinned disgustingly, bumping shoulders with Stella. "And like I said, the hiccup that is Novak - well, it's perfect actually. She loses her close friend Franky, she doesn't have Kaz...so naturally she will revert back to her old...junkie...ways. My dear Kaz will mourn the loss and blame herself, but luckily...she will have my shoulder to cry on. That's the plan for now; Doyle right now and Novak in around...two to three weeks. Give the poor girl some time to grieve before she... _overdoses_."

"I want Westfall," Kim chimed in. "That bitch is the one who took Franky from me, so I want to slit the scrag's fucking throat."

Joan gave a slight sigh. "Kim, you may do whatever you want...as long as Doyle is killed in the next hour." She nodded her head firmly and they all returned the gesture. "Hoods up and shivs visible on camera so the officers don't enter." She looked around, her expectant eyes turning even darker. "Plan starts in five minutes. Dismiss," Joan stated simply before watching them scatter off like sewer rats. "Goodbye, Franky," she said softly.

Allie's eyes had went wide and so had Kaz's. "Oh my god," Kaz whispered out as she covered her hand, trying to stop what she felt was sickness coming up. "She's fucking played me from the very start. She's gonna try and fucking kill you."

"We need to get to Franky and Westfall. Now." The both began to sprint down the corridors before almost colliding with a body. "Franky," Allie sighed out, her voice cracking slightly. "Listen, there's no time for questions so just listen to us. We just overheard Ferguson...she's in charge of Mercado and Juice's crew. Ferguson has told Mercado to kill you... _right now._ Juice is gonna cause some kind of diversion."

"Fuck," Franky groaned out. She looked at Kaz. "You fucking believe us now? That she's a fucking psychopath."

Kaz could only shake her head. Like Allie, she also had tears in her eyes. "I'm fucking sorry, okay? She's going after you and then she's taking out Allie."

_That_ , Franky didn't understand. "Why the fuck is she going after Allie?"

"To get closer to me," Kaz said emptily. She leaned against the wall, the past few weeks playing over her mind. Bea was right in the yard...Ferguson had played her like a fucking fiddle.

"Franky," Allie said softly, taking her friend's hand. "Kim's going after Westfall." She watched as the face in front of her went as white as a sheet. "Said she's gonna slit her throat."

Breathe. Bridget's office was a one minute run if she sprinted. "Go and tell Bea everything you just told me. Do not stop for anything, just get there before-"

_ATTENTION COMPOUND! ATTENTION COMPOUND! THIS IS A CODE BLUE! ALL PRISONERS ARE TO RETURN TO THEIR UNITS IMMEDIATELY!"_

The alarm blasted over them over and over. "Go. Now. If you see Mercado or Juice, you run the opposite direction. Go! " She watched as the two took off before her own legs were sprinting as fast as they could, rounding a corner she was forced to a halt. In front of her stood Tina, Cindy Lou, and Kim...who were all currently withdrawing shivs to point at her. Think. Distraction? Run? Fight? If they were here then at least they weren't with Bridget. "Wow," she nodded at the shivs mockingly. "What a surprise."

"You're dead, Doyle," Tina spat as she moved closer. Kim seemed a bit more hesitant and held back slightly.

Fight.

Franky launched forward, kicking Cindy in the stomach causing the thin woman to drop to her knees. "Mr Jackson!" she called out, praying to god it would work. Kim and Tina whipped their heads around only to see nothing. When Tina turned around, a fist connected forcefully with her face, knocking her forcefully to the floor. She turned to look at Kim, but as she did, the smaller woman had whipped her shiv sideways. Franky attempted to dodge it but it caught her just at the top of her ribs. Kim had got her good, she could feel how deep the wound was, but her adrenaline was too high and she was at Kim in a second, wrestling the shiv from her hand. Franky was taller and had much more strength so grasping the shiv was an easy effort. She noticed Cindy start to slowly try and stagger back to her feet. She grabbed Kim tightly, her bicep covering her throat. She wasn't choking her; she had her in a sleeper hold that Mr Jackson had taught her. It didn't take long before Kim dropped to the floor. Tina was stirring though and Cindy was just about up, so Franky ran as far as she could before dizziness caused her to stop and lean against a wall. She looked at her right side; half of her tank top was covered in blood. She forced herself off the wall and got to the doors that came between Bridget's office. Fuck, she had no card. She banged on the glass, hoping to god Bridget was there and she could hear her.

Bridget was gathering her bag together when she heard a banging from outside her office. She opened the door and saw Franky on the other side. She could only see her face but she looked like she was about to pass out. It wasn't what she was supposed to do in the current situation but her feet carried her forward quickly and she swiped Franky in.

"Oh my god," Bridget gasped, her eyes going wide at how much blood was covering her tank top. Had she been stabbed? "What-"

Franky dragged Bridget forward as she heard voices a slight distance away. If Ferguson was orchestrating things, she knew it would be perfect, meaning Mercado most likely had a swipe card. With all her strength as the voices drew closer, Franky forced Bridget into the office. She gently closed the door behind them and locked the door, but just as she did...the handle was tried. She pushed Bridget as far into the corner of the door as she could, praying to god they couldn't see them through the small gap in the blinds. Her hand gently covered Bridget's mouth and she shook her head, silently telling the blonde to be quiet. Bridget was pressed tightly against Franky's body and she could almost feel the blood seeping out of whatever injury she had.

"Why the fuck is it not swiping?" Kim slurred out. Franky hadn't held the hold anywhere near long enough for Kim to be out more than ten seconds.

"Whatever card they have is a copy so it won't work on certain areas," Bridget whispered. The grip she had on Franky tightened as the taller woman fell against her slightly.

"Look, we come back later for girlfriend stealer, yeah?" Tina furiously nodded before grabbing the card from Kim's hands. "We need to find Doyle. She won't go to H1 knowing we're after her so she's out here somewhere. We find her now."

Kim only fumed with rage. "I want that bitch gone. She took Franky away from me!"

"Yeah and Franky's gonna be dead in the next half hour, so fuck the thief just now."

Franky silently laughed. "Thief," she repeated quietly. Bridget could only grimace as she listened to the slight slur in Franky's voice. After a minute or two of radio silence, Franky held Bridget in place with one hand and lifted one of the blinds. "They're gone."

As suspected, Franky almost slumped to the floor but Bridget held her up. She couldn't even close the blinds fully incase the came back and noticed a change. "Under the table." Bridget grabbed one of the green pillows from the chairs and guided Franky under the table. Those green eyes fluttered closed ever so slightly. "Stay awake!"

"Jesus," Franky muttered out and didn't flinch when Bridget lifted her shirt up to expose the wound. "Are you gonna take advantage of me because I'm so vulnerable right now?"

"Who did it?" Bridget asked and removed her own jacket to press against the wound. Franky hissed out in pain. "I'm sorry. I just..I need the bleeding to stop."

Franky could only nod. "Kim shivved me." Now they were safe, she could fully feel the impact of the wound. "How bad is it?"

"You've lost quite a lot of blood I think." Bridget's hands were shaking as she removed the jacket slightly to see if the pressure had stopped. "Sierra 5, come in. I need urgent medical assistance in my office," she spoke into her radio. The blood was stopping, but any time the pressure was removed it would immediately start again.

"Bridget, what's going on?" Vera's voice came from the other end.

Bridget sighed in relief; it was going to be fine now. "Franky's been shivved. I can't get the bleeding to stop."

"Bridget, there's several prisoners with shivs at almost every entrance. I can't get anyone in our out until I've got this under control. If they see you, they will kill you. The officers are getting equipped as we speak but we need back up so it's going to be at least twenty minutes before we can get to you." Vera and Will exchanged glances.

"Fuck," Bridget muttered out. She let Franky take the radio as she hastily wiped the tears from her eyes. What if they didn't get there in time and she had to watch the woman she was pretty sure she was in love with bleed to death in front of her.

"Vera," Franky breathed out. 

The response came immediately, "Franky, are you okay? What's happened?"

"I need you to listen to me," Franky stated as firmly as her shaky voice would let her. "Ferguson is orchestrating this. She's got all the junkies on her side; we think she's the one bringing the drugs in so they stick with her. Allie and Kaz overheard Ferguson telling Mercado to kill me. Kim wants to come after Bridget because she blames her for getting extra time for that attack. Juice and the rest of the junkies are causing the diversion so Mercado can look for me. They've got a swipe card but it wouldn't work on Bridget's office, so she said it has to be a copy." There was a slight pause before Franky's next words came. "Vera, the Freak's got an officer on her side. It's the only way she could have got a card. Can you check who last tried to swipe into this office?"

Will worked at the computer, doing exactly as Franky had said. His eyes went wide as he read the screen. "Card duplicated. No name or ID number." He looked at Jake who was stood across the room. "You fucking tell me right now if this is you again!"

Jake held his hands up. "I fucking swear to you it's not. Check every single camera in the place; I haven't been anywhere near Ferguson." Vera and Will were staring him down. "Look, I was fucking desperate and I fucked up. I'd gotten myself into debt so I did what she told me and she cleared my debt. I planted drugs and weapons in cells. I covered for her when she was in the slot with Spitterri. I gave Will drugs on purpose when she told me to. But I swear to both of you, I never put any of the women's lives in danger."

"You just aided a psychopath and almost cost Will and I our jobs," Vera said harshly. She unconsciously touched her stomach as she stared him down.

"Fucking Franky's life's in danger right now," Will shouted from behind the desk. "I swear to god if this is you and anything happens to her, I'll kill you with my fucking bare hands!"

"Bridget," Vera spoke back over the radio. When she got a shaky reply, she continued. "Franky will be okay but I need you to try and stop the bleeding as best you can. Can you do that?"

Franky gave her a tired smile and Bridget nodded. "Yeah. I'll stop the bleeding." They confirmed they'd continue to check in before Bridget sat the radio to the side and kneeled to start rifling through the drawers at her desk. 

Green eyes went wide when they saw what was in Bridget's hand. "No!" Franky shook her head profusely, a sense of panic beginning to set in. She tried to sit up but Bridget forced her to lie back down. "Please. Please don't touch me with that."

Bridget's eyes brimmed with tears again as she heard the pain in Franky's voice. "I have to. Franky, it's the only thing that's gonna stop the bleeding."

Franky puffed out a shaky sob. "She used to use a needle like that on me." Memories of her mother poking a small needle through her skin relayed in her mind. That particular item her mother used hadn't caused many scars as it was so fine and she'd always do it in the the spot.

Shakily, Bridget's hand reached out to brush some of the slightly damp hair away from Franky's forehead. "You know I'd never do anything to hurt you. I never want to cause you pain like she did but I can't..." she trailed off as she choked out a small sob. "I can't have you bleed to death in my arms."

Franky allowed her hand to be gently grasped. She looked into the eyes above her - they weren't the evil dark ones that caused her nothing but trauma. It was just Gidget...the woman who she wouldn't think twice before taking a shiv for. The woman who didn't take any of her shit. The woman that caused her to smile every time she passed her in the corridor.

It wasn't her mother with a needle...it was just Gidget. "Okay." Franky nodded and let out a heavy breath. Bridget sighed in relief and grabbed her bag from the table and extracted painkillers, her phone, face wipes to sanitise the area as best she could, and a bottle of water before she put it back in the same place. "Why do you even have a sewing kit?"

"It's a _travel_ sewing kit." She gave Franky the painkillers and held the water to her lips to allow them to be swallowed. "Right, they're pretty strong so hopefully by the time I'm done, they'll have kicked in."

"Are you the one that's dealing?" Franky shifted as Bridget manoeuvred her. She was laying on her left side under the table and Bridget was currently bunching her tank top together and rolling it up as far as it could go. She noticed Bridget looked a little awkward. "What?"

"I broke my leg a while back and sometimes the pain flares up, so I always keep them on me." Averting her gaze to the sewing kit, Bridget started to put the thread through the needle. "I'm gonna need to uhm...straddle you." If her face wasn't red just thinking about it then she was sure it was now.

Franky, however, was fighting to keep the grin off her face. "Didn't think our first time would be under a table, ay?"

Bridget stopped to look Franky dead in the eye. "Where did you imagine it would be?" The eyes beneath her just went wide and Bridget smirked; she had learned by now how to actually get one over on the brunette. She placed her phone in the best position possible and put its torch on before getting into position and sitting atop Franky's hip. She immediately had to fight back a groan...Franky's hip bones were extremely _prominent_ and the position of said hip bone was firmly pressed against the last place Bridget needed it. She shifted upwards slightly and then it was Franky's turn to fight the groan. "Look at me," she asked softly and it took Franky a few seconds in here before she did. "This is gonna hurt. I'm not half arsing this for it to burst as soon as you move, so I'm gonna do it as tight as I can."

Franky held the gaze and nodded. "Is the background on your phone the picture of a dog?" She raised her eyebrows.

Bridget screwed her face together. "Is that what you wanna focus on, right now? The fact that I'm the person who has their dog on their phone like it's their child?" Franky was distracted and she'd seen on multiple TV shows that this was best time to do something like this. She forced the needle through the skin causing Franky to all but scream. She forced herself not to look, knowing that if she saw that face in pain, she'd have to stop. She managed two _stitches_ but Franky was becoming increasing louder with her cries, meaning if anyone heard her they would know they were in there. "I'm sorry. I swear I don't want to hurt you." Franky just kept her eyes forced closed but Bridget could see the tears on her face. God this was killing her? She couldn't listen to Franky in so much pain. "Here," she handed the brunette the phone. "Look at the pictures of the dog; try and distract yourself."

"What's his name?" Franky forced the words out as she fought to steady her breathing as the needle started to go through again.

"Reegan." Bridget worked as fast as she could whilst also making sure she was doing them as tight and close together as possible. She'd got about a quarter of the way down before she put a little pressure of the stitched area. It was holding - thank god.

It was torture but Franky tried to focus on the pictures, it helped when she came across the odd one of Bridget _and_ the dog. There was a group of photos of Bridget and the handsome dog at the beach together; Bridget had sunglasses on and her hair looked to be tied back and the dog was licking the side of her face. "I didn't picture you as a dog person."

Bridget just gave her infamous raised eyebrow look at Franky. "Let me guess. You thought I'd have twelve cats because I'm a lesbian and I'm single?"

"I didn't really know you were single." She kind of did but Bridget hadn't exactly confirmed it; all she had said was that she was a lesbian.

"Yes, you did." She was half way done and other than the occasion groan of pain, the noise had died down. She noticed Franky was currently staring at the phone, a slight look of irritation. Glancing down slightly, she noticed it was a picture of herself and her cousin Jenn at their uncles birthday party. " _Family_ party." Why was she making it so obvious to Franky that there was no one in her life? Well, she knew why but it wasn't really something she was supposed to do. She went back to her stitching. Luckily there was only a small part left but it was the deepest part of the cut. "Franky."

Looking up from the phone, Franky only sighed when she saw the sad look on Bridget's face. "It's gonna hurt?"

Managing a stiff nod, one hand held pressure on the last bit of the open wound while the other reached out to settle on Franky's. She noticed her hands were cold and that the brunette was ever so slightly shaking from the cold as she didn't have her hoodie on. "It's the last part I promise." When she was instructed to _just do it_ , Bridget's hands moved as quick as they could. It took about five minutes and Franky had let out three heavy sobs. Franky had tears in her eyes because of the pain and Bridget had them in hers from _listening_ to it. "It's done." She dropped the sewing equipment behind her. "Franky," she murmured out sadly as she watched the younger woman fight the tears. "You're okay. It's done. I promise."

Franky still hadn't opened her eyes. She rolled onto her back gently as Bridget came to kneel beside her. "Is it holding?"

Bridget lightly wiped the tears away from the brunettes face with her thumbs. "It's holding. The bleeding's stopped." She glanced out from behind the table and quickly moved out to grab her spare change of clothing she kept in her bottom drawer. Luckily, it was just a plain white t-shirt so she'd be able to tell easily if the bleeding started again. She had a soft blazer as well that she'd give Franky as well. "I need to get your top off you."

Despite the pain, Franky still managed a half smile. "I thought you'd never ask."

Thank god. Bridget would take any comment she was given if it meant Franky was being _Franky_ and had the energy to tease her. "Can you get it off or do you want me to cut it?"

"I can get it." When she tried to lean up, however, the pain shot to her side and she quickly lay back down on her back. "Right, no I can't."

It was already sitting at her ribs just below her bra. "Can you lift your arms up?" Bridget asked and pulled the garment off as quick as she could when Franky's arms were raised high enough. And then suddenly, Franky's half naked body was right in front of her. Unsurprisingly, that stomach was extremely flat and toned. Fucking hell, Bridget focused on the t-shirt in her hands - she'd caught a glimpse of Franky's chest and forced herself to look away. She'd had dreams of this exact sight but in person, the breasts encased by a simple black bra were bigger.

"Gidge, you're gay. I'm sure you've seen tits before." Franky noted the awkwardness of the woman next to her.

Bridget squared. "I'm trying to be professional but they're just _staring_ at me." She looked at Franky's amused face but couldn't help just one more glance before she helped the brunette put the t-shirt on.

"What fucking size is this?" Franky remarked at the tight t-shirt. The bottom of her stomach was exposed due to their height difference.

"Sorry I don't have legs for days that make me as tall as you." Again, Bridget closed her eyes. She wasn't doing well with words at all. It was probably for the best that Franky wore a parka jacket around her from now on so she couldn't see any of that tanned, smooth skin. She placed the blazer over Franky's top half before trying to adjust her position; the space was small and they had to make sure the chair was tucked in so the office looked unoccupied.

Franky groaned out as Bridget's knee met with her ribs. "Can you just fucking lie down? You can't sit because your legs will be visible, so please just fucking sit still." 

Awkwardly, Bridget did just that and lay down. It was just their shoulders that were touching but it was still enough to make her hypersensitive and completely on edge. Franky slid the pillow over so her head wasn't against the floor. It was just a couch pillow so their heads were now gently pressed together. "You have to stay away from Kim, at all costs," Franky broke the quiet. "Even if she asks for a session, you know you can't do it."

"I know," Bridget agreed with a hesitant sigh. "I've never had a prisoner want to kill me before."

"You shouldn't really go around being a _girlfriend stealer_ then, ay?" Franky joked. She turned ever so slightly when she noticed the slight apprehension on the blonde's face. "What?"

Mirroring the position, Bridget shifted as well. "What if she makes an accusation...actually accuses me of something."

"You think Vera would believe her?" Franky only watched as Bridget gave a hesitant shrug. "Gidge, she's a fucking junkie now. Jake saw her attack you, so if she ever did say anything, Vera would know she was only saying that shit because she blames you for copping extra time."

The rumours wouldn't exactly not be true to an extent though, Bridget thought. Nothing sexual had happened between them but their was emotional involvement there. Franky flirted and Bridget had finally gave in and just allowed it...because she liked it. "What?" she heard softly, breaking her thoughts.

"Just...thinking," Bridget said, and that was all she could really say because it was the truth.

"Sharing's caring," Franky offered up lightly.

Bridget could only laugh. "Are you the psychologist now?"

"Yes," Franky said with extreme seriousness. "I want you to tell me what you're feeling and exactly why you're feeling it."

_I feel the way I feel because you've occupied my mind since we first met._ That wasn't exactly going to work. She couldn't tell Franky about her feelings; they still had months of counselling sessions left and admitting anything could compromise Franky's parole and that was something she refused to do. "I'm just thinking about Ferguson and what she's planning."

It wasn't the answer Franky wanted but she went along with the conversation. "Power. That's all she's ever wanted. Have you ever checked her off against the DSM?"

Now, _that_ , caught Bridget's attention. If you were to judge Franky by just looking at her, stereotypically she probably wouldn't be someone people would consider to have a high level of intelligence. But even Bridget had been shocked - not that she had judged - because in twenty years, she'd never came across a prisoner with such a high level of intelligence. "Sorry?" she asked curiously.

"Don't tell me you don't know what the DSM is? We might have to start questioning your credentials, Gidge." Franky was confused as to why Bridget looked so confused.

"Of course I know what it is. I've just never heard anyone on your side of the bars know what it is," Bridget admitted. She wondered what Franky's life would be like if she didn't have the childhood she had. She'd probably be a shit hot lawyer who also owned her own restaurant. She'd looked at Franky's exam results since she'd started her law degree and every exam had a score of 90% or above. "Does it ever bother you that people don't realise how intelligent you are?"

Franky shook her head. "No. I don't care what people think of me. You think I could walk around here in charge if I gave a shit what anyone thought?" The radio chimed in with Vera telling them Will was approximately five minutes away and that the prison was secure. A minute or so later, a code black announcement began to ring out. "Shit. What if it's Bea...or Booms? What if-"

"Hey," Bridget soothed softly. "You know they can take care of themselves, and Bea wouldn't let anything happen to them...just like you wouldn't if it was Bea here right now."

"What...what if it was Bea?" Franky asked tentatively.

Bridget couldn't help but answer honestly, "Then I'd be in here _terrified_ that something had happened to you."

Before Franky could respond, there was a heavy banging on the door, Bridget flinched and unconsciously curled into Franky's body. Franky had her arm wrapped around the smaller woman in an instant but a second later Will's voice was there, "It's just me. I'm gonna come in." He'd warned them in case Franky was armed and expecting Mercado. Bridget was quickly out from under the table, a relieved look over her face. "Where's Franky? Is she okay? Are you okay?"

Bridget pointed to under the table and Will rounded it in an instant. "You're alive," he grinned and managed to lift her out with ease. Readjusting to standing caused her to wobble slightly, but Will had a firm grip on her. "We're gonna get you to medical, yeah? You think you can manage to walk?"

"Yeah." Franky couldn't help but think this was becoming too familiar; Mr Jackson having to escort her to medical. She had just under five months to her parole...what were the chances that she could keep cheating death, especially now Ferguson wanted her dead. "Who's the code black?" It's not Bea or-"

"Its no one from H1, Franky. It's no one you're close to, and they're okay so don't worry. It was unrelated to this _plan_. Bridget, you have to come with me as well. You can't be left alone." A few minutes later, Franky was in the Medical Unit and the nurse was informing her she had to remove Bridget's stitches and re-do them. She was about to argue but the nurse explained it would be extremely painful removing the previous ones, so she'd need morphine to control the pain. Franky asked Will to go and make sure H1 was okay.

He nodded and said he'd go and check. Before he left, he motioned Bridget to the side, "She doesn't do well with anything medical, so can you please stay with her? She seems to really trust you. It took me about three years to gain that trust so I don't know how the hell you've managed that. Clearly they hired the right woman for the job." He smiled before leaving the room.

The morphine was given intravenously so it hit Franky like a freight train. "Gidget! Did they tell you I got shivved?"

Bridget's eyes widened. "How much morphine did you give her?"

"The highest dose she can get," Lee replied dully. "I'm not listening to her screaming in pain, so she can be off her face while I do it."

"Oh wait, you were there," Franky interrupted them. "You sat on top of me remember?" She grinned wildly as she remembered and the nurse pulled the top over her head and replaced it with a medical gown.

The nurse looked at Bridget with a raised eyebrow. Bridget only squared her jaw. "I done it with a travel sewing needle. I had to...position myself as best I could."

"Y'know, I never thought you'd be a top," Franky said nonchalantly and Bridget wished the world would just open her up and swallow her whole. Maybe all she had to do to get Franky to talk in their sessions was give her a dose of morphine. The nurse began snipping the old stitches out and Franky didn't even flinch. "Are you a top in bed, too? Because I can really imagine it now." She closed her eyes and a dopey grin took over her face. "I'm imagining it, right now."

"Okay!" Bridget stated firmly and rounded the bed to face the morphine culprit as she lay on her side. "Why don't you try and rest? You've had a long day."

Franky waved her hand dismissively. "Gidge," she said in the most serious voice Bridget had ever heard. "It is all good. This is like my second time being shivved."

"What?!" You've been shivved before?" Bridget repeated in shock. That one wasn't in Franky's file, although she did recall a wound to the chest in her notes; perhaps that was it.

"Here, I'll show you." Franky pulled the medical gown down slightly and revealed the top of her breast that Jacs had sliced a few years ago. "It's just a small scar. Can you see it okay? I'll just take this thing off so you can see it better."

Bridget's hands stopped Franky before she could undo the gown. "Can you stop moving?" the nurse hissed out.

"Uh, could you not interrupt a private conversation?" Franky grimaced in annoyance. 

"Why don't we get you some water?" Bridget asked enthusiastically, trying her best to distract the disaster currently unfolding.

Franky's eyes widened in amazement. "Water. Like...what would we do without it? Do you ever just stop and think about it? I mean, it just serves so many purposes." She grabbed Bridget's hand and slightly waved it about. "Hey! Why don't we try and name all the purposes of water?"

Dear god, was this the same person that sometimes struggled to speak in counselling sessions. Bridget couldn't keep up; Franky was literally uncontrollable on this drug.

"Miss Bennet!" Franky exclaimed loudly as the Governor entered the room. " _You_ are the Governor of a prison - can you believe that? Like...there's a whole prison and you run it. How crazy is that?"

Vera made her way into the room. "Franky," she said softly with a small grin. "You feeling okay?" She looked at Bridget who was slowly shaking her head behind the brunette. The nurse left the room, mumbling something about different equipment.

"Vera," Franky began and gestured for the Governor to come over. "I am _great_. But, enough about me, how are things with you? Have you had any morning sickness yet cause I remember Doreen had it every fucking day. Do you know how much sleep I lost because of her and that fucking baby? I still hope she gets out soon though."

Bridget's eyes were questioning while Vera's had went wide. "Franky, I'm not pregnant; I think you're mixed up. And Doreen did get out, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. And she had that boyfriend. What was his name...rash?" Franky asked genuinely.

" _Nash_ ," Vera corrected with a heavy sigh.

"Exactly, Nash," Franky agreed with what she thought was herself. "So, when are you due?"

Bridget cut in, "Franky, Miss Bennett isn't pregnant. You're on heavy pain meds; you're just confused."

Franky shook her head. "No, she is. She got a baggier blazer even though she hadn't put any weight on, and she never comes in the mess at breakfast anymore, and the only thing served every day are eggs and beans, so one of the two must make her sick. I worked it out like a week ago."

Vera only looked at Bridget as Franky was too out of it to focus and was currently examining Bridget's watch on her wrist like it was a gadget from out of space. She gave a slight nod to her friend who only smiled in return. "Later," Vera promised. Bridget nodded, unable to take the small smile off her face.

"What were we talking about?" Franky cut in again, looking between the two. "Oh, yeah. Would you guys rather see a whale up close...or a dolphin?"

By this point, neither women could hold in their laughter at the poor medicated stoned mess in front of them.

_________________________________

"Where the fuck are they?" Bea muttered as she paced back and forth, her hands dragging down her face in frustration. Franky and Allie had been missing the entire time the code blue had rang out. "Mr Jackson." She rushed to the bars as he appeared outside their unit. "Where are Franky and Allie?"

Will held up a calming hand. "Franky's fine. She was shivved but she's okay." At this, all of the women raised from their chairs and voices were at him from all angles. "Listen!" They all went silent and he continued. "She wasn't _stabbed_. She was slashed. She's getting stitches just now but trust me, she's fine."

Bea was glad but still unable to relax. "What about Allie?"

Will shook his head. "I haven't seen Novak, Smith. I was sent straight to get Franky. Listen, I promise I'll come back but I need to go back and check on Franky. Miss Miles had several inmates secure with her; Novak is probably with them."

He'd left before Bea could ask if he knew who the code black was. She called after him as loud as she could but he was already gone. Her head leaned against the bars. "Fuck." She could feel tears brimming in her eyes. What if Allie was the code black? What if she was....no, she couldn't even think about it...she'd throw up.

"Bea." Maxine laid a gentle hand on her friends shoulder. "Allie will be fine. She'll be with Miss Miles wherever they are."

Bea forced herself to turn around, not caring that their were tears in her eyes. "What if she's not? Fuck, I've treated her like shit for two weeks and she's done nothing wrong, and now she could be fucking dead."

Maxine could only sigh out sympathetically. "Hun, you've really fell for her, haven't you?"

A verbal answer wasn't needed; the tightening of Bea's eyes and the tears that spilled out told Maxine what she already knew. "I can't handle another death, Maxi." She spun around like a whippet when she heard footsteps. "Miss Miles! Where's Allie?"

"Calm down, Smith," Linda fired back in her usual monotone voice.

"Listen, I will give you however fucking much money you want. Take the fucking full mortgage from my house, I don't care. Just please tell me you know where Allie is?" Bea begged through the bars. "Please just tell me she's okay?" Her voice cracked and she inhaled heavily, trying to control her breathing.

Linda didn't say anything for a second before she opened her mouth, "Could you walk any slower?" she called out to the footsteps approaching. "Stand back," she instructed before she opened the gate.

And Allie walked in slowly. 

Air. For the first time in two hours, Bea could breathe. Franky and Allie were both fine; Allie looked completely unharmed as she watched the other three women flock to her. However, she held back, knowing Allie didn't want anything to do with her. Allie met Bea's gaze as she hugged Liz. Her brown eyes were slightly bloodshot and she looked exhausted, but she was here and she was fine. Despite the radio silence and argument earlier in the day, Allie's feelings hadn't disappeared; they'd only became stronger from missing Bea so much the past few weeks. And the things she'd said to her this morning, Allie felt awful. Did she genuinely think Bea had shopped them? No. But anger and sadness had gotten the better of her and she'd said things she now regretted.

Allie was the first to go to bed and the rest followed relatively quickly. Bea sat herself for a while before retreating to her cell. She stripped herself of her clothes, leaving her clad in only her underwear. Her door was open and she tried her best to cover herself. "Shit," Allie murmured out as she caught a glimpse of Bea in her underwear. The red head had her pyjamas on in a flash but Allie had been unable to look away from those abs.

"Does knocking exist to you?" Bea asked, though she was careful of her tone.

"I've seen it all before," Allie reminded teasingly, which, of course, caused Bea to go red. She didn't waste any time before she told Bea everything she'd overheard with Kaz and explained what had happened when she wasn't in the unit.

Bea tightened her jaw. "They're trying to kill Franky?" And then they were going to try and kill Allie. The two people she cared about most and their lives were at risk from the most dangerous, unpredictable woman she'd ever met.

"Look," Allie started hastily. "I'm sorry for earlier and everything I said; if you say you didn't do it then I believe you. And you're not a coward-"

"No, I am," Bea interrupted. "Everything you said was true...apart from the shopping you thing. I was shit to you and I'm sorry; you didn't deserve that."

Allie sat down on the edge of the bed while Bea continued to lean against the wall, though her eyes didn't leave the blonde. "Why are you staring at me?" Allie questioned and checked her appearance but nothing was out of sorts.

"So you can do it but I can't?" Bea half smirked but Allie did the opposite and stood up quickly with a grimace on her face.

"I told you she'd come after me." She reminded and started her nervous pacing.

Bea grabbed her hand, halting her movements. "She's not gonna touch you!" she said firmly and Allie recognised the look as Beas's _top dog_ look. "She's not gonna get anywhere near you. I promise you."

"You can't be by my side at all times," Allie pointed out. She glanced down at the hand that had a soft grasp on her wrist.

"Yes. I. Can." Bea disagreed firmly. None of them were dying; the Freak would have to be dealt with once and for all.

"Why..." Allie hesitated then stopped, but Bea's face told her to carry on. "Why were you in such a state when you were talking to Smiles?" She had heard Bea begging, heard her voice crack, heard her offer Smiles anything she wanted.

As much as her inner voice was telling her to look away, Bea forced herself to keep eye contact. "I was scared," she admitted quietly.

"Of what?" Allie questioned. Her heart sped up when Bea turned their hands and entwined their fingers.

"I can't lose another person I care about." She was done with it...the being a coward, the pretending nothing was there. After today and the fear she'd experienced, Bea was done with all of it.

Allie took a step closer. "You care about me."

Was it a statement or question? Bea had no idea. All she could do was tell Allie the truth. "Yeah, I do." She tried to walk to the bed but Allie's hand stopped her in place. 

Allie stood as close as she could, so close their breaths were mingling; neither was quite steady. "If you want to sit down, you can," Allie whispered and Bea breathed out heavily when the hot breath touched her own. She was given the choice. She could sit on her bed and Allie would probably go back to her cell and then tomorrow, the cycle between them would start again.

Fight or flight - that's what it came down to again.

"No."

Fight.

Their other hand entwined and Allie moved in slowly...it was probably a second but Bea watched as her face came closer and everything just stood still. Their lips pressed together softly and for the first few seconds Bea was rigid; their lips only pressed together in a soft kiss but neither moved. Allie could sense the tenseness and pulled back, but Bea's hands dropped and were placed softly on her hips. They both leaned in again, meeting with slightly more force. Allie's hands moved up to cup Bea's cheeks as their bodies pressed together even closer. Bea knew Allie was holding back and so she pulled back, breathless.

"I'm not scared," Bea admitted and her eyes were already glued to those slightly swollen perfect lips.

"No?" Allie questioned, just needing that final confirmation.

"No," Bea confirmed strongly. It wasn't scary and it didn't cross her mind that she was kissing a woman. She was just kissing the person she happened to have fallen for.

Allie pulled them back murmuring a quick "good" before she kissed the red head fiercely. Surprisingly, Bea responded just as strongly and Allie couldn't help herself from moaning into the kiss. The sound shot straight to Bea's core, something she never thought possible from just a kiss. She let Allie take the lead but followed just as strongly as the kiss deepened. Bea felt Allie's tongue brush against her own and it was nothing like how she remembered kissing. Allie pulled away before pressing another several kisses against Bea's wanting lips. "Shit," she whispered out and forced herself to take a step back.

Insecurity flooded Bea's features. "You didn't...like it?" She hadn't kissed anyone in a long, long time and even when she had do it...it wasn't her doing the kissing - it was Harry forcing his tongue into her mouth and her allowing it.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Allie could only laugh, though the motion didn't help her current state of _turned on as hell_. "It's...the opposite." Bea looked confused before realisation set in. "I can't fucking help it. The fact you don't realise you're so fucking sexy makes you even sexier."

Bea blushed furiously. Nobody had talked to her like that or said anything like that before. "Do you wanna lay down?"

"Only if you promise not to _leave_ me as soon as you wake up," Allie joked then held her hands up when Bea only glared at her. "Too soon. Right." Bea was first to get in as she pulled the cover back, Allie slid in beside her and quickly found herself the little spoon. A sleepy grin took over her face. "Remind me to thank whoever did shop us...cause they've done me a pretty huge favour."

Smiling into that soft blonde hair, Bea only pulled the blonde in closer. "Goodnight."

"Yes, it really was," Allie nodded, entwining their fingers together with the hand that was securely around her waist.

"Please tell me you don't talk in your sleep?"

In this moment, everything was perfect.

But the monster in H3 was looming...and someone in that prison was going to be her victim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's hard to work out the timeline for season 4 but in this story Ballie have bonded enough I think for them to be at the stage of their first kiss...and who knows how Bea will react the next day? The middle was pretty Fridget heavy. I actually based Franky's morphine experience on my own...my mum said I was all over the shop and I barely remember a thing. With this story, Jake did things for Ferguson but he didn't kill Nills Jesper or deal drugs; he planted drugs when and where he was told to. And Jesper is currently alive in this version of the story. I have no idea how many chapters this will be; like I said at the start, I know all the major plot lines but it's filling the gaps and watching the timeline as well. Hope anyone who is reading enjoys this and if there's ever any spelling or grammar errors, I'm sorry as it's only me who checks it. Stay safe and love Fridget/Ballie.
> 
> WWFan10.


	6. Assemble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning to anyone expecting this to be a "normal chapter", so to speak. It's a filler to set up where we need to be for the rest of the story. Not much Fridget or Ballie unfortunately as I literally wrote it quickly while lazing about today. Kaz is where she needs to be now and they have all the info they need but with no proof. Like I said, this will be a pretty boring one as even I didn't enjoy writing it due to the lack on Fridget/Ballie but the quicker I wrote this meant it was out the way. If I was to try and get this into a "Normal" chapter, it would be taken up a lot of space so I'd rather it was just done and out there. Sorry for any disappointment to anyone reading, guys.
> 
> WWFan10

Kaz walked slowly as she went to enter her unit, similar to a few days ago with Allie, she heard Joan's quiet voice whispering, though she was close enough to hear. 

"Franky...," Joan began with a slight frustrated sigh. "Franky Dolye is proving to be of slight difficulty. As much as it pains me to say it..she is smart. She can get herself out of anything, so for now... the focus is away from Doyle."

"So, what's plan B?" came the other voice. 

Kaz's blue eyes wideded as she let herself fall against the wall. It was Joan's partner in crime and she'd just found out who it was. She closed her eyes tightly... it wasn't Mr Jackson like she'd been convinced to think. 

"Smith," Joan replied simply. "There's two top dogs and I need at least one of them gone to weaken their system."

"Right, so what are we gonna fucking do?" the voice asked. 

Joan calmly told them to lower their voice. "I am going to deal with Bea Smith. You are going to continue to do what you are doing by bringing in the drugs. The drugs stop and the money I'm paying you stops."

"So tell me what to do?" 

"Just... have Mercado come and see me. They'll know by the fake card you used that there is an officer involved so naturally... we must have the women think who this dodgy officer is." There was a long pause before Ferguson spoke again, " _Will Jackson_. Kaz already believes he was the one who attacked me and she has influence over a few of the women."

They exchanged another few words and Kaz quickly left before she was seen. She was walking down the corridor in a complete daze before she collided with a body. 

"Proctor," Will spoke evenly despite who it was. "What are you doing?" 

"You need to take me to the Governer." Kaz's voice was quiet and she her usual confident demeanour was gone. 

Will thought she looked completely defeated. "Proctor, what's going on?" She was silent though and that just sent Will into a frustrated rant. "Right, of course. Why would you tell me? I'm just a fucking woman beater slash rapist!" 

At this, Kaz sadly looked up. "I'm sorry." Fuck, she was so sorry. She'd blamed him when in fact, he was probably the most decent officer in this place. 

"What? Sorry for what?" Will asked in confusion. He looked around before swiping them into the first room he could find that was only accessible to officers. She only followed him like she was in a complete trance. "Why are you saying sorry? What's happened?" 

"I thought it was you. She fucking convinced me it was you... told me fucking lies that you'd try to sexually assault the women but she didn't have enough proof against you." She looked up, the slightest hint of tears in her eyes. "She played me. From day one, this has been a part of her plan. She wasn't beaten up, it was fucking staged."

Realsistion dawned on Will. "Ferguson?" Kaz could only nod. She didn't care that she was lagging; there were lives at stake here. The woman was clearly a psychopath and had more tricks up her sleeve than a magician. 

Kaz nodded. "Im sorry," she repeated again. 

"You're sorry?" Will related, his hands flying wildly in front of him. "You accused me in front of other prisoners of being a rapist... a woman beater. You said I assaulted you that day you set up the drone when you know I was only defending myself because you came at me first. Fucking accusations like that cause officers their jobs."

"What else do you want me to say?" Kaz sobbed out. "I fucked up. I trusted the wrong fucking person when I shouldn't have." 

Will could only shake his head. Ferguson was still managing to get at them even from the other side of the bars. "The day you met with Smith - she told me you gave her the info - who was that person connected to? Nills Jesper...who is he connected to?" It had suddenly dawned on him; Ferguson would have knew it was Bea who bailed him out and all she had to do was look at the visitors log. Kaz only looked confused. "Who is Jesper connected to?" 

"Ferguson?" Kaz answered obviously. 

"The day you met Smith was the day he went to kill another officer but the officer knew it was coming. I was sitting in a police cell because Ferguson tried to frame me for murdering Smiths husband. Smith pretended to be my lawyer and phoned through with the name... Nills Jesper. He was arrested that day and Ferguson lost her henchman," Will explained as the pieces of the puzzle suddenly clicked together in his brain. "Ferguson knew Smith didn't get that info on her own.. it was impossible. So what did she do? She checked the fucking visiting records and you had visited that exact day. You gave Smith the info that caused that pyscho lose her right hand. The police tracked the number and she was the one who answered; they're trying to match it with voice recognition to prove it was her."

Kaz was silent for around a minute before it all came together. Will Jackson was completely innocent. Bea Smith hadn't shopped her. "Ferguson," she whispered out as he nodded. "That fucking psycho was the one who shopped us." 

Meanwhile in Vera's office, she waited patiently for an explanation. "Vera, we can sit here all day but I'm not the person you're looking for?" Jake said calmly.

Vera could only stare. She'd sat for days looking though CCTV of every shift he'd been on and as he said.. he was on camera for every parts of those shifts and was no where near Ferguson. "Maybe you've got somebody helping you?" 

"Vera," he sighed out and ran a hand through his hair. "I told you what I did was a mistake, and I regret it. I went to invest in a fucking brewery and it turned out the guy I was going in with was a fucking gangster. He put the biggest part of the money in and then said I had to pay fucking interest when I wanted out because I realised he was dodgy as fuck. He knew where I lived, where I worked. He would've of killed me, and then she transferred me money like it was nothing and she cleared my debt... as long as I did what she said."

"So how the hell is the same thing happening again?" Vera questioned out through gritted teeth. 

Jake was hesistant. "I think I know who it is.. the officer that's been helping Ferguson." Vera only shrugged, silently telling him she was waiting for an answer. "It's Brody." 

"Sean?" Vera repeated in shock. "Jake, his record is crystal clear and he has been more than competent since he started."

"When did the drugs start?" Jake questioned. He stood up in frustration. "Vera, it's right there in front of you. The drugs started as soon as he arrived. He did the same thing in Walford; he was the prisons fucking dealer." 

Vera shook her head. "I think that'll be all for now, Mr Stewart." Jake only sighed in defeat, knowing he was fighting a losing battle. "Come in," Vera called out when her door went. "Will... Proctor?" She was surprised to see the two together; Proctor's hate for Will was hardly a secret. 

"Proctor has some information... regarding Ferguson." All the officers looked at each other. Vera told Kaz to sit and for the blinds to be closed. 

"What do you know, Proctor?" Vera asked as she glanced behind at Jake. If it was him, she was reporting him. He was the father of her child but if he'd made the same mistake twice and lied to her face... he was done. 

Kaz was silent but Will encouraged her. She nodded at him shakily before turning to the Governor. "I know who the officer helping Ferguson is. I heard them talking earlier." There was another small silence before Kaz continued... "Mr Stewart." Vera could only stare at him in disbelief. She had believed him, thought he had genuinely changed. "I wanted to speak to Smith earlier but Mr Stewart told me she had a meeting with Governer soon, so I went back to H3. When I got there, Ferguson was talking... they were sorting the next part of their plan. 

Jake looked at Vera, his face gentle as Kaz confirmed it wasn't him. Will came to stand behind him and a tentative hand was placed on his shoulder. 

"I'm not a lagger," Kaz said with a shake of her head. "But they are planning to kill people and Allie is one of them so I can't keep quiet." Vera only nodded, expectantly waiting. "It's officer Brody," Kaz confirmed. 

Vera glanced at Jake. His face wasn't smug or arrogant; he only looked relieved. "You're sure that's who it is?" 

"I heard them talking. She's paying him to bring drugs in." Kaz went on to explain in detail exactly what she'd heard. 

Vera stood from her chair, pondering what to do next. She had no evidence - they couldn't just accuse him with no evidence. "Will, go and get Smith and Doyle." It left the three of them in the office as Will left. Jake asked Kaz a few other questions while Vera was silent until her door was opened again. 

Both of their eyes widened as they turned to look at the odd group theyd suddenly became a part of. "Well this is an odd set up," Franky mumbled to Bea who only nodded in shock. 

Vera went on to explain everything Kaz had heard about Brody, the drugs, Ferguson and her plans, the junkies now being on Fergusons side. That there were plans in the works clearly but no one knew what they were. 

"So I'm next then?" Bea laughed and looked at Franky. "Why couldn't she just have stuck with you?" 

"Fuck off," Franky laughed back. "I've copped my fair share in the past month. Someone else can take their fucking turn." She looked at Vera and nodded to Kaz. "You have to move her unit. If Ferguson catches on that she knows anything then she'll kill her." 

"No," Kaz disagreed forcefully. "I did this to myself by trusting her, so I need to deal with whatever consequences come with that."

That last person anyone would have thought would defend Kaz Proctor spoke up. "She's done it to all of us and we all believed her at some point. You can't blame yourself; you weren't here when she was Governer so she could easily feed you whatever shit she wanted you to hear, especially knowing you hated me. She had leverage and she used it."

Kaz looked shocked as Bea Smith was the one to step up and defend her. "I agree with Franky. Kaz should be moved unit."

"But I can be the ears. I can make her think I'm on her side," Kaz argued, although her tone was nowhere near the aggressive way it usually was when she was around Bea, Franky, or Will. 

"No." Franky looked at Bea who nodded in agreement; they had got to the point where they knew what the other was thinking with just a look. "Everyone she has on her side is either Mercado who deals... or a junkie who buys from Mercado. If you listen and then feed back whatever plan she has... which effectively puts us one step ahead every time, she'll figure out soon enough that you're the mole. Don't underestimate her - we've all done it and it is the worst thing you can do." She thought of everyone in H1 and Bridget who were all at risk. "All of H1 are collateral damage. Plus Allie and Kaz overheard Kim say she was gonna kill Bridget. Anyone that is at threat needs to know."

"Jesus Christ." Vera's hands fell into her head. How was it possible that one person could cause danger to so many people. "Go and get the rest of H1 and Miss Westfall." Vera ordered to Will and Jake. There was no point in taking them all in one by one and explaining it X amount of times over and over. 

Jake was back with Bridget relatively quickly as her office wasn't far away. Her blue eyes scanned the room, taking in the serious faces of everyone in the room. "Has something happened?" 

"Not yet." Vera explained there was an urgent meeting needed and Bridget was to be apart of it. She glanced at Franky who was leaning on one of the walls with Bea, the brunnete offered her a tight lipped smile but Bridget could sense the tension a mile away. 

Will ushered the four women into the room which was now filled with Vera, Will, Jake, Bridget, Franky, Bea, Kaz, Allie, Liz, Boomer, and Maxine. 

"Hey, are we all goin' on like a day trip or somethin'?" Boomer questioned as she looked at the other ten faces in the room. 

A day trip. How easy life would be if Ferguson wasn't here and the least of Vera's worries was Boomer asking for a fucking day trip. 

"Right, everybody listen up," Bea started off, her strong arms pushing her off the wall. She had to fight the urge to roll her eyes at Allie who was staring at her with the look she'd realised quickly was the look of Allie being turned on. Allie had told her during their heavy make out session in her cell two nights ago that seeing Bea in top dog mode _really fucking turned her on._ Focus. "This isn't what anyone wants to hear but every single person in this room has the right to know that they're in danger." 

"Danger?" Liz question in fright. 

Franky was the next to step up, unknowingly aware that Bridget was thinking the exact same as Allie. Bridget couldn't take her eyes off as Franky easily held the room with pure confidence. "Ferguson wants me and Bea dead as soon as possible. The incident last week was intended for Mercado to kill me, and now she's going after Bea." She nodded to the officers who were grouped together behind Vera's desk. "She blames all of them for certain things, and blames me and Bea for teaming up and plotting against her." She then turned to H1 who were grouped together. "You're all collateral damage; The Freak knows how much me and Bea care about you all, so that puts you in danger." Next up was Bridget. "Miss Westfall is in danger because Kim Chang blames her for getting extra time when she tried to shiv her. Allie and Kaz both heard the threat against her and as far as we know, they're all a fucking team up now so we don't know who Kim could get to do what she wants."

"What the fuck's she doing here?" Boomer pointed to Kaz. "She's in with Ferguson. She's a fuckin' spy." 

"Kaz isn't with Ferguson anymore, Boomer," Bea defended the silent blonde and went on to explain how it was she and Allie who had heard the plot for last weeks attack in time to warn Franky. "Ferguson was the one who shopped Kaz. She knows it wasn't me and she's Allie's best friend, so from now, she's on our side." 

Allie was next in line. "If Bea's next, whats the fucking plan? We all saw how close Franky was to getting it last week. If Miss Westfall hadn't of stictched her up, she'd have fucking bled to death or they'd have killed her." She was panicking. The first morning she'd woke up in Bea's cell, she was terrified the red head would freak out and send her packing, but Bea only kissed her softly before she'd snuck back to her own cell before being caught. And since then, things between them had been perfect. Bea was shy at times but she was also becoming increasingly flirty and more confident as they spent time more together. She'd went to bed early last night much to her own disappointment as she knew she'd be sleeping on her own by doing so, but once everyone else had gone to bed, Bea had surprised her by sneaking into her cell. It was usually her that went to Bea's cell at night, so she lay in bed with bad cramps expecting to sleep alone for the first night since they'd had their first kiss. She was more than happy Bea had came to her but she had her period and had virtually no energy to even move. Bea had just gently kissed her goodnight though and rubbed soft circles over her tummy to try and help with the pain until she fell eventually fell asleep. She was in love with Bea, there was no doubt about it by this point.

"We need to think of a plan. We'll do our bit and try and catch Brody with the drugs; as soon as we do that, he's out," Jake offered up.

"What about Ferguson?" Bridget asked wearily, already knowing she wasn't going to like the answer.

Vera could only sigh. "We need to think of a plan because as it stands, she's not actually _doing_ anything we can prove. She doesn't use drugs so she won't have a single thing on her. We have to bide our time and think of a plan. None of you go anywhere alone and I'll make sure an officer is always near without it being obvious. That's all we can do until we can catch her red handed or figure out one of her plans. In the meantime, Kaz...Franky and Bea are right - you can't stay there and be the mole. I'm not putting you in danger."

"Where am I gonna go?" Kaz asked dreadfully.

Vera looked at the two in the corner who only nodded. "H1. We'll tell you that you're moving there because Allie isn't coping without you...that Smith and Doyle are giving her shit for being associated with you."

"That's only gonna make her go after them more," Allie pointed out in fear. This plan was setting Bea up to be even more of a target.

"She's already coming after us," Franky tried to reassure. She knew Allie would be worried about Bea, just as she was worried about Bridget. "Nothing anyone says or does is gonna change that. Kaz needs to be safe, and the safest unit is H1."

"God, it's like the fuckin' avengers in here," Boomer sighed out.

Several more concerns were voiced and they were there around another half hour before it was eventually agreed Kaz would be moved in a few days to H1 and she was to create as much _hassle_ as possible when it happened. "Will, if you don't mind taking them back. Mr Stewart, we can uh...finish our conversation. Bridget, I'll see you for lunch?" Bridget nodded and they all left the room, leaving only Jake and Vera.

"So do do you believe me now?" Jake questioned his ex.

"Can you blame me?" God, she was going to have to tell him. Franky had worked it out like a detective solving a case and now Bridget and Will knew. She didn't like what he'd done but it was still his child and hardly fair that other people knew before he did. "Look," Vera awkwardly gestured to the chair across from her for him to sit. "I have to um...tell you something. This has nothing to do with what we all just spoke about."

He just sat patiently as Vera awkwardly fumbled with her hands and struggled to get the words out. "Are you oka-"

"I'm pregnant, Jake."

Jake's mouth fell open slightly. "Uh... is it.."

"Yes, it's yours, obviously," Vera confirmed. 

"Are you gonna let me be involved?" He looked at her with almost pleading eyes.

"Honestly? I don't know." She'd spoke to Bridget and asked for advice but it was easy to look at it from both points of view, they'd both realised. Yes, he'd made a mistake. But was it fair to keep a child from its father based on a mistake? No.

He stood up quickly. "Vera, please. I swear to you I'll never do anything like that ever again. I wanna be there. I wanna be a proper dad, even if we're not together."

Vera could only sigh heavily. "You have to give me some time to think. I haven't forgiven you for what you did and I honestly don't know if I ever will."

"I can't forgive myself," he admitted sadly. His hands fell over his face and he only removed them when he heard a drawer being opened and what sounded like a piece of paper being sat in front of him. He'd expected it to be some sort of resignation letter...but was was a scan picture of a baby. His hands lifted it gently. "Jesus," he choked out a half sob, half laugh. "It's really there."

Was he a bad person or was he just a person that had made a mistake? Vera really didn't know. "You can um, keep it. I have another one."

"Thank you." He nodded his head gratefully and wiped his eyes. "How far along are you?" 

"Almost four months," Vera responded quickly. She was lucky she was naturally petite but of she took the blazer off, the bump was visible - it was going to be out there in a week or two. "I have some paperwork I have to fill out..."

He stood up quickly. "Of course, yeah." He made his way to the office door and carefully tucked the picture into his pocket. "Please just give me one chance - that's all I'm asking for."

Vera only held his gaze as he left. Telling him hadn't helped at all, especially after he'd tried to help and told her it was Brody, which turned out he was right.

This was now even more a mess.

_______________________________

Back in H1, they'd all sat around talking for a bit before Liz asked if anyone wanted fresh air; the other two nodded but Bea and Allie opted to stay. Franky was at Medical getting her stitches checked. They'd made their way to Bea's cell only a few minutes later, that being the preferred place as Allie had admitted how much she loved laying in bed with Bea's red blanket. Bea didn't get it; it was a bloody blanket but Allie was literally obsessed. She'd returned to her cell two days ago after working out to find it gone, then she'd gone into Allie's cell and as suspected, the blonde was napping with it wrapped around her.

"You okay?" Bea asked softly as she sat down on the bed.

Allie flopped down on to the bed and wrapped her arms around Bea's middle. "No. She's gonna come after you."

Bea gently leaned the worried blonde against her shoulder and wrapped a protective arm around her. "Allie, she's always been after me. She convinced Franky and I to try and kill each other - remember?"

"I know. But she's got all the fucking crack heads with her now. What if Juice-"

"Juice," Bea repeated with a heavy laugh. "You do know I put her in a wheelchair, right?"

Allie lifted her head off Bea's shoulder. "You did?" There was a slight smirk and a look of bewilderment on her face. "Tell me what you said to her," she whispered into Bea's ear before taking the lobe and tucking it between her ears.

Bea turned her head, her jaw squared as she knew how much Allie loved it when she was in power mode. "I told her it was _my_ fucking prison, and anyone that goes against _my_ rules, would have _me_ to fucking answer to." Allie's lips were against her own in an instant. She kissed the blonde back just as hard and allowed Allie to move to straddle her.

"You are so fucking hot when you talk like that," Allie groaned out before her tongue was back in the red heads mouth. Bea wasn't really confident in saying the things that Allie could easily say but she was getting better with the intimacy side of things.

"Oh, for fuck sake," Franky sighed when she walked in on the two going at it... _again_. "It's the middle of the fucking afternoon."

Allie only rolled her eyes and climbed into her previous position. "She can't resist my charms, what can I say."

Bea didn't really disagree. "Don't blame me because my girl's on this side of the bars and yours isn't." She immediately realised her slip. "Oh shit."

"Bea!" Franky's eyes went wide.

"Is that about her and Westfall having their weird thing?" Allie asked casually.

This time, Franky threw her arms up in the air. "You told her?! What happened to fucking _bros before hoes_? I told you that in confidence."

"She didn't tell me." Allie looked up at Franky who looked like she didn't believe her. "I swear she never said a word. It's pretty obvious, Franky. You literally turn into a fucking puppy when she's around and all you do is smile at her. I noticed it ages ago. But like, don't worry...she's totally the same with you. Have you not noticed how she always finds a way to come to the yard when you're working out? She's defo into you. Plus, she's got that kind of look about her where I bet she'd be kind of wild in the sack."

"I hate you both," Franky said lightly before turning on her heel.

"Hey, could you shut the door?" Bea asked and gave a slight grin. Franky, however, only turned around and glared. "You're the best friend ever. Thank you."

"I still hate you." Franky clicked the door shut behind her and was immediately met with bright blue eyes and those infamous heel clicks walking towards her.

Bridget made her way over. "Hey." She noticed the disgruntled look on Franky's face. "What's wrong with you?"

Franky opened her mouth to answer but Allie squealing out Bea's name from inside the cell behind them cut her off. " _That_ ," Franky answered and moved away from the door.

"Isn't that Bea's cell?" Bridget questioned as they walked to the entrance of the unit. Franky nodded and confirmed it was. "But that sounded like Allie?"

Franky only raised an eyebrow as the surprise took over Bridget's face. "That was my reaction." Bridget was shocked. Bea Smith was the last person she'd of expected to start a prison romance. The red head was relatively shy and they hadn't had much engagement, but she was always polite when they saw each other. "You can't say anything. I'm the only one who knows, and I've had the unfortunate pleasure of walking in on them twice."

"You do realise I'm the prison psych? I can't say anything to anybody about anything?" Bridget reminded with a husky laugh.

Fucking hell, Allie was right. She'd caught herself smiling without even realising she was doing it. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Oh." Bridget leaned on her heels awkwardly. "I just wanted to see how you were after the whole thing earlier?"

"Fine. I've had people after me since I set foot in this place." Franky answered with a nod. "Are you going back to your office?" Bridget nodded, confirming she had a session in twenty minutes. "I'll uh...I'll walk you back. Are you okay...after everything?"

"I mean, I didn't think I'd have a prisoner want to _kill_ me after being here not even two months, but I trust Vera....and you and Bea as well." Bridget noticed the leisurely pace in which they walked, like neither quite wanted to end up at those doors in a few minutes.

Franky gave a reassuring smile. "I wouldn't worry about Kim. Have you seen her lately? She looks like she belongs on a street corner. I doubt she even knows what fucking day it is." Just as they turned a corner, the small dark haired woman came into view at the other end of the corridor - she was out of it as usual. Franky lightly touched Bridget's arm and swapped their sides, so she was now on the inside, closer where Kim was walking on the opposite side.

Kim hadn't yet noticed them but when she did, she glared in disgust. Franky thought it was going to be fine as Kim hadn't said anything, only stared right through them. At the last minute though, Kim bumped Franky's shoulder and muttered "you're dead, Westfall." 

Franky spun around at record speed, her green eyes fuming. "Fucking say that again," she dared as her breathing started to become slightly out of control. Kim had already bounced away and was a good few feet away from them. "Come back here and say that again! I fucking dare you!" 

"Leave it," Bridget encouraged gently. She could see in Franky's eyes that she'd went to that dark place she often struggled to get out of. "Come on."

"Better listen to your _girlfriend_! Not that she'll be here much longer!" Kim slurred out hatefully.

Franky made a move to surge forward but a gentle hand on her wrist stopped her. "Look at me," Bridget instructed strongly. "Franky." Eventually, those green eyes met with her own. "Calm down. Leave it."

"Did you hear what she fucking said?" Franky was shaking with rage as she watched Kim round the corner and disappear.

"I heard her, but you've got a parole hearing coming up. Is she worth losing that over?" Bridget's voice was as soothing as ever and gradually Franky began to calm down, her jaw and shoulders un-tensing. 

Franky could only lean against the wall. "I can't fucking stand this. What if you were on your own? What if she had something on her?"

"Come on," Bridget encouraged. "I still have fifteen minutes before my next session. Would you like to talk?"

"I'd like to do a lot of things," Franky admitted.

Bridget had that small smile playing on her lips. "Come on." She swiped them through the doors, both of them unaware of the pair of dark eyes down the hall that had saw the slight brush of their hands as they walked together.

A smile took over that sadistic face as Joan looked on. She may not have been able to get Franky, but she now knew to to officially get _to_ Franky.

Bridget Westfall had officially just joined Ferguson's death list.


	7. Completely compromised

"Why do you look so surprised?" Franky asked as she noticed the expression on the blonde's face. 

Bridget was clearly unable to remove the surprised look on her face. "Well, you're actually kind of talking for the first time," she responded in shock. She'd asked Franky about the whole situation with Ferguson and being attacked etc, and Franky had actually managed to talk to her without deffering or making her usual _Franky_ comments. 

"Gidget, when we first started, you kind of went from 0 to 100 pretty fuckin' quickly. You wanted me to talk about the worst experience I've ever had... I'm not good at talking about feelings and emotions and all that shit." Franky shifted a little uncomfortably in her chair as Bridget's eyes refused to leave her face. "And now you're doing that fucking staring thing. I don't like that."

"You're insecure," Bridget pointed out matter of factly.

"I'm not insecure." Franky looked on in annoyance as Bridget's right hand scribbled down on the notepad in her lap. "Don't write that. I'm not insecure!" Bridget only did that thing that seemed to rile Franky in their sessions; she leaned forward and raised her eyebrows. And that was the look that told Franky that Bridget was immediately going to shut her down. It was the _Bridget was now going to be right look_. "Stop, Gidge. I fuckin' hate that."

Bridget could only laugh. "I know you do. But, I want to go back and talk a little more about the insecure thing." She watched as Franky did her typical stand from the chair in annoyance. Yeah...she could kind of read the brunette like a book by now. "Now, you're gonna go to the door...lean against your back, fold your arms, clench your jaw...and stare out the window."

Franky froze on her way to the door. How the hell did she do that? "Uh, no," Franky turned around then pretended to stretch her legs. "I was just stretching my legs a little. I've been sitting down for ages."

"It's been forty minutes, Franky." Bridget gave the look again and Franky could only growl in frustration. "I'm not trying to annoy you, I swear." Those green eyes were fully on her though. And that was one thing Bridget struggled with - Franky's eyes. They were penetrating sometimes, like they were looking into her soul. Other times, they were soft and Bridget could almost swear they were thinking the same things as her when they looked at each other. And then there were times where they were dark, and that terrified Bridget because she had no idea what Franky would do when she was in that state. "Do you not thing I'm insecure about certain things?"

"What have you got to be insecure about?" Franky flopped back down into the chair in that usual annoyed way she did. "Your great job with great money? Your nice house you get to go home to every night?"

"I'm lucky enough to be financially secure, Franky, but that doesn't mean that I don't have insecurities," Bridget admitted honestly.

Franky shrugged. "Tell me then. What are you insecure about?"

Bridget shook her head. "We're not here to talk about me, Franky." 

"Well, I'm sorry," Franky started in confusion. "I just can't see what you could possibly be insecure about. I...I think you're just trying to be nice to make me feel better."

This was a difficult one. "Franky...all the friends I have are married, some have kids and some don't. I'm the only one that...isn't involved. Do you not think that makes me feel insecure? That most people my age have settled down and I haven't."

Franky was slightly taken aback at the raw honesty. Bridget admitted she couldn't talk about herself, but every now and then she'd get the odd glimpse into the other woman's life. "Why do you even care about that? You now you could literally walk into a bar and every man and woman would look at you."

Bridget's cheeks had a slight pink tinge to them. "Franky, that's not what a relationship is...I'm not gonna settle for the first person I come across. My last relationship we lived together as friends for the last year of our relationship."

The confession caused Franky to clench her jaw a little; the thought of Bridget in a relationship didn't settle well within her. "You wanna know something, Gidge? My own dad left me when I was ten...the person who's supposed to love you unconditionally. He upped and left, and never looked back. Left me with a fucking drunk. He worked away for three weeks out the month so he had no idea she hit me...but he still left me with her knowing she drank herself into a coma every single night. So if that's a parent leaving their child...why the fuck do you think that wouldn't happen to you in a relationship?" Her eyes had went that soft, vulnerable way. "There's no such thing as happy endings, Gidge. Relationships....they're all bullshit; everybody leaves eventually."

The words struck deep within Bridget. "You don't see yourself ever being with someone when you get out of here?"

The dreams she'd had almost every night flashed across Franky's mind. In every dream she'd had lately, they were always in a house and they were together. Franky could only laugh bitterly. "I don't trust anyone not to leave. My dad broke my heart when he left, so I am never putting myself in a situation like that again. I'm not gonna stand at a window every night like I used to with my dad, praying that whoever left me comes back."

"Why do you assume someone would leave you?" Bridget asked quietly.

Franky could only laugh as if the answer was totally obvious. "I'll be a fucking ex prisoner, Gigde. I'll no doubt have a shitty job which means I'll have to live in a fucking bedsit. I'll have a parole officer for six months." She shook her head in disbelief. "Who the fuck would want to be anywhere near that?"

Bridget could feel the lump in her throat. Did Franky really think that little of herself? "Franky, you'll be a lawyer in two yea-"

"Yeah, if a law firm decides to take me on," Franky interrupted, cutting Bridget off. "The last two years of my course, I need to be to be in placement within a firm. If I don't have that, I'll fail my course."

Bridget squared her chair so that it was full on facing you. "Y'know, I'd heard a lot about you before we first met."

"From who?" Franky asked as she sat up straight.

"Mr Jackson." Bridget watched as a slight look of terror crossed over Franky's face. He'd filled her in on both of the top dogs, and he'd told her pretty much everything. "He told me that you were, without a doubt, the most charming, confident person he'd ever met. That even though they weren't really supposed to...even the officers couldn't stop themselves from liking you, that it was almost too easy to like you. That you'd changed so much since he first met you and that he was so proud of you...that no one in here had worked harder than you to turn things around and earn their parole."

Franky was taken aback. She could feel her eyes unconsciously starting to water. "Fuck sake," she muttered out out and hastily wiped at her eyes. 

"Stop thinking these negative things about yourself," Bridget encouraged softly. "You're the only person that thinks these things about yourself. _Nobody_ else does."

"What do you think?" Franky watched as Bridget seemed to struggle with the question.

"I..I can't answer that," Bridget admitted shakily.

Franky immediately thought the worst. "Because you think I'm a piece of shit?"

"No!" Fucking hell, she couldn't say what she actually thought, but if she didn't answer then Franky would obviously think the worst.

"Why don't you just answer the question?"

"Because I think the exact opposite of that!" Bridget snapped back quickly before she could stop herself. "Don't," she pleaded quietly. "Don't ask me that question, Franky."

Their eyes met and for the first time, Franky believed this really wasn't one sided. "Why?"

Bridget blew out a heavy breath. "Because I'll be crossing a line if I do...so please don't make me cross that line." Her eyes begged the brunette not to push the conversation and luckily she didn't.

"Okay." Franky got up from her chair and headed for the door; their hour was just about up anyway. She gave a half turn, only to be met with what looked like pure turmoil on Bridget's face. "I'll see you," she said softly before letting herself out of the room. 

The only thing she could manage was a nod. She gave it a minute before she knew Franky would be out of the secured unit. Her office was the first on the left at the secure unit, so it would take Franky about ten seconds to leave. Every day was getting harder, and then at night she had to go home and all she could think of was Franky. Was she safe? What was she doing? Was she sad? The emotional line had been crossed even if the words hadn't been said. She was lucky enough to have the bathrooms straight across from her office. She made her way out the room, her shaky hands working to lock the door. The tears in her eyes were blurring her vision and all she could do was wipe them with one hand as the other fought to lock the door. "Fuck," she sobbed out and turned to the bathroom, but stopped in her tracks immediately as she looked at the figure in front of her that had caught her in the state she was in.

Franky hadn't left the unit. 

Bridget could only guess she'd taken a minute before returning to...wherever she was going. But Franky had caught her...caught her in a crying, shaking mess as she struggled to even turn a key in the lock. Luckily, Bridget didn't request an officer for Franky's sessions so it was just the two of them, currently stuck in some sort of stare off. Franky wanted to say something, but what could she say? Bridget only ducked her head and cleared her throat before walking quickly into the bathroom. She could be swore she heard Franky mumble something as the door closed but she had no idea what it was. She braced herself against the sink before daring to look in the mirror. Her eyes closed tightly; her mascara had ran down her face and her eyes were pure bloodshot, there were tear stains covering her cheeks. She was a mess, and it was her own fault.

Because she was the one that had fallen in love with a prisoner.

____________________________________

Bea looked back and forth continuously at Allie and the new inmate across the yard. The blonde had been walking towards them when a new prisoner who she only knew as " Clare Granger" stopped Allie in her tracks. The woman had jet black hair and a full sleeve tattoo, and although Bea was only attracted to Allie...she knew other women mould find this Clare attractive. Franky had noticed the state she was getting into and had told her to calm down.

"Hey, what did she want?" Boomer asked as Allie finally made her way over to sit with them. "I know that look and she was defs looking for a root, ay?"

Allie could sense the tension from Bea a mile off; her shoulders were completely rigid and that jaw bone she loved so much was clenched shut as tight as possible. "She's new. She was just talking." It was the truth...to an extent. The woman had been polite and had introduced herself as Clare, and had been friendly enough, but Clare had quickly turned extremely flirty and Allie had scored herself an invite back to Clare's unit for a _good time_. Allie had obviously politely declined, telling the other woman she was already involved. It was accepted but not before she was told that if that ever changed then she knew where J block was.

"Fuck off." Boomer laughed loudly, completely unaware that one half of the top dogs was on the verge of a breakdown. "She was all fuckin' over ya. Tell us what she said. Did she ask to get to know ya a little better?" Boomer put her to fingers between her tongue and stuck it out.

"Booms!" Liz scolded as she hit the bigger woman with a magazine.

Franky stepped up for Bea, knowing her friend would probably snap their table in half if she didn't know what was actually said. "What did she say... seriously?"

Allie glanced at Bea, who was currently staring a hole in the basketball she was holding. "She just...hit on me a little. That's it."

Even Franky took a step back from Bea who started to bounce the basketball furiously. "She did?" Bea questioned lightly, though Maxine and Franky knew the tone was completely sarcastic. "And what did _you_ say?" 

Allie just told the truth. "Nothing. I told her I wasn't interested."

"Ay?" Boomer questioned in shock. "Some half decent lezzo offers you a free root and you turn it down? What the fuck's wrong with you?"

"Maybe she doesn't want to go hook up with a stranger, Boomer," Maxine offered up.

Boomer only looked at Allie like she had two heads. "You get it offered to you and you just turn it down? I'd be jumping on a dick if it was offered to me on a platter."

Luckily, there was an interruption before Bea could explode. "Afternoon, ladies," Vera appeared with Bridget by her side. Bridget said a polite hello as well. They all responded, though Bea's and Franky's greeting were relatively quieter. It was the first time Franky and Bridget had seen each other since the session yesterday, and although no one else was aware of the tension lurking - the both of them certainly were.

"How are you feeling, love?" Liz asked with a smile.

It had become well known in the past week that Vera was having a baby. As suspected, most of the prisoners had responded kindly. It was Ferguson's crew, however, that had taken to crude comments to the point Will slotted one of Mercado's girls. "I'm okay. Thanks, Liz." She glanced around the yard; Juice and her boys were playing on the court next to them with some other junkies. "Any updates?"

"Nothing," Franky replied, knowing Bea was still probably in too much of a state to talk.

"Ferguson's been quiet." Vera had watched the woman on camera as much as she could but so far there was nothing. Brody was on his best behaviour. So since their meeting, there had been virtually nothing.

"Hey, are you gonna find out if it's a boy or a girl?" Maxine asked excitedly.

Vera couldn't help but grin slightly. "I don't know," she admitted shyly. She turned to Liz and then Bea. "What did the two of you do?"

"I didn't find out with either," Liz admitted.

"Red found out," Franky offered up.

Bea could only laugh. "I've never told you that. How do you even know that?"

"Please," Franky could only laugh. "You hate surprises. You can't stand not knowing anything - drives you fucking mental."

"Right, that's true," Bea conceded with a shrug. "Yeah, I found out as soon as I could."

Most of them had their backs to the basketball courts so neither noticed one of Juice's boys backing towards them, the heavy woman collided straight into the Governor and sent her plunging to the ground. All of H1 were around her in an instant as was Bridget.

Bea and Franky held back. "What the fuck was that?" Bea questioned and threw the basketball she was holding forcefully to the side.

"Accident," one of the boys muttered out, but their was a sleazy grin on her face.

"She's fucking pregnant!" Bea spat out harshly.

Juice was quick to jump in. "Accidents happen, Bea."

"She's a fuckin screw anyway," the woman who had caused the incident argued back. "Maybe she'll loose the thing and fuck off and leave us all alone-"

There wasnt a chance for the rest of the sentence to come out...because Franky's fist collided straight with the woman's nose, bursting it straight away and sending her to the floor. Juice and two other stepped forward but Boomer and Maxine were quick to Bea's side. Franky grabbed the groaning woman's arm and twisted it slightly. "Look at the Governor!" she instructed harshly. The woman hesitantly looked at Vera. "There we go. Now, I want you to really, really look...becuase it's the last time you're gonna be looking at her for a long time." Bridget considered stepping in but her anger got the better of her and she stayed by Vera's side, helping her to the ground. "If I see you even glance in her direction," she trailed off, twisting the arm which earned a sharp yell. "I'll snap every bone in your body like a fucking twig," she hissed out before sitting the woman up, facing her straight at Vera. "Tell her you're sorry." A slight mumble came out of the woman's mouth. "Louder!"

"I'm sorry!" she yelled out before letting herself be dropped back to the floor.

Franky towered over her. "Who's in charge around here?!"

"You...you are," came the terrified reply. 

"Get the fuck up, and stay away from her!" Franky ordered and the woman was back to Juice's side immediately. There was a stare off for a good minute or two before everything settled.

Allie was holding Vera's arm, while Bridget had the other. "Shit, are you sure you're okay?"

Vera nodded. "I landed on my back. I'm okay."

"You need to go get checked out," Bea chimed in.

Liz had disappeared to find an officer and returned back with Jake, who rushed to Vera's side. "What the hell happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Vera was slightly flustered at the attention.

"Fuckin' junkie properly went into her." Boomer nodded to the crowd on the basketball court.

Jake's eyes were furious as he scanned the court. "Which one?"

"The uh...the one with the possible broken nose," Bridget said as she looked at Franky. The brunette was still on edge and hadn't taken her eyes off the crowd on the court.

"You!" Jake pointed at the woman with the bloodied nose. He quickly spun her around and had his handcuffs on her in an instant. "Slot! Now!"

The woman was fighting against it but Jake didn't budge an inch. "Fucking Doyle punched me; look at my face."

"I think this is the best you've ever looked to be honest," Franky groaned out. She knew she'd be facing the slot as well. Vera hadn't seen it but Bridget had.

"Ask Westfall; she saw it," the prisoner demanded.

All eyes turned to Bridget who only gave a light shrug. "Franky didn't hit you. Lucy threw the ball and it hit you in the face." She turned around for support. "I think that's what everybody saw." 

Murmurs of agreement filled the air and Jake dragged the shouting woman out of the yard. "Franky," Vera turned to the brunette. "You've just defended the Governer in front of half the junkies."

Franky could only roll her eyes. "The junkies are always after me. What fucking difference will this make."

"We need to get you to medical for a check." Bridget forced the reluctant Governor to agree to a medical check. She turned around to look at Franky, who was now lightly touching her bad wrist as the adrenaline wore off, "You as well."

"What?" Franky went wide eyed and looked at Vera for support, but she only nodded in agreement.

Bridget's eyebrows were raised as she waited. "That's your bad wrist, and you just decked a woman half your size."

"But...it's-"

"Franky!" Bridget said sternly, which only made Franky drop her head in annoyance and follow behind the other two. "Why is it every single time you get cleared from medical, you immediately end up back in it?"

"Uh...bad luck." She offered up a slight grin but Bridget was having none of it.

Back in H1 a little while later, Allie finally managed to sneak into Bea's cell. The red head had returned to her cell straight away once they'd all entered the unit. When Allie entered, Bea was forcefully throwing a tennis ball off the cell wall before catching it again. "Baaabbbbbe," Allie drawled the word out and made her way into the cell.

Bea could only glare as Allie used the new pet name she had started to call her. "What's up?"

Yeah, she was in trouble. "You're mad?"

"I'm not mad," Bea laughed back in response, but her grip on the tennis ball said otherwise.

"Can I have a hug then? I haven't had one since this morning." Allie asked sweetly and opened her arms.

Bea only shrugged. "Sure." She slipped into the blonde's arms and gave her hug.

"You are so full of shit," Allie pulled back from Bea's tense embrace. "They say red heads are the fiery type, and you so fucking are."

Allie had a tight grin on her face but Bea absolutely did not. "I'm just...worried about Miss Bennett."

A blonde eyebrow raised. "Miss Westfall came and told us she was checked and that she's fine." The ball throwing continued again before Allie eventually managed to catch it. "It's because of that Clare girl isn't it?"

"Don't say that name in my cell!" Bea pointed her finger at Allie's face.

Allie could only laugh loudly as she pulled Bea against her and wrapped her arms around those toned shoulders. "You are so jealous. There's literally steam coming out your ears."

Bea didn't break the embrace but she didn't look at Allie either. "Well I can't control what you do, can I?" 

"Bea, I'm not gonna flirt with some other girl when I'm with you. I told her I wasn't interested." She placed a soft kiss against against the red heads lips. "I'd go fucking crazy if you were flirting with someone else."

Did that mean they were together? They spent every night together and although they hadn't got to that stage yet, the intimacy part was going slightly further every night. Allie had been topless on top of her the past three nights and although she'd kept her hands mainly around Allie's back, she found herself wanting to take it further. And although Allie teased and whispered things to her constantly, when it came down to it, Allie didn't push things at all and it was always kept at the pace she was comfortable with. "You're not...interested in anybody else?"

"Are you blind?" Allie looked the shy woman up and down. "Bea, I've literally been set on you since the first time I saw you. I thought I'd made that pretty obvious."

That made sense - Allie had literally stared at her any chance she got before they were...doing this, plus there was the shower incident that Bea let go a lot further than what she should have. "So, we're just like...together?" Allie only nodded in an _obviously we are kind of way_. She was in a relationship, only the second in her entire life...and it was normal. She didn't have fears that Allie was in any way like Harry. She had other fears, like certain people finding out and people targeting Allie because of it. "I don't have to go and bash Clare then?" There was a laugh before there were lips pressed against her own as she finally let her body relax and melt into the kiss.

Allie pulled away before she got too carried away. She groaned at the loss of contact straight away. "Fuck. I said I'd go and talk with Kaz? She's barely coming out of her cell and I just want to make sure she's okay."

"Are you asking me for permission?" Bea playfully swatted Allie's hands away as they reached out to her again "No!" she warned with a light glare. "If you stay here and start _that_...then you'll never leave." Allie chanced her luck again but Bea turned her around and marched her to the door. She placed a quick kiss on her girlfriend's cheek from behind and pushed her out. "Go. Right now."

Girlfriend - she had a girlfriend. A kind, sweet, caring, attentive, hot girlfriend. She could feel the easy grin on her face as she watched the retreating blonde head to Kaz's cell. Franky was sitting on their couch and exchanged a quick chat with Allie before she disappeared into Kaz's cell. At that, Bea slipped out of her cell and made her way over to the couch. God, she was dreading this. Never in her life did Bea expect she'd need to come to Franky about advice about something like this. "Are you uh...busy?"

Franky held the book up but didn't look. "Studying. What's goin' on? You wanna go work out?" They'd already done their usual time on the treadmill today but hadn't went outside and done the weights yet.

"Yeah we can," Bea started and watched as Franky practically bounced up. "Wait. I...I kind of need some advice."

"Use your fingers and your tongue at the same time...works every time." Franky winked and slapped her friend's arm.

Bea looked up shyly to her grinning friend. "Does it?" she asked quietly, to the point where she didn't even know if Franky had heard it.

But Franky had definitely heard it and that grin only widened. "Holy fuck." She could barely contain her laughter as Bea went as red as her hair. "I thought by the fucking noise she makes that you'd have tried the mcmuff by now."

One of Bea's hands covered her face. Why...why her? "Not yet."

Franky only gestured to the seat next to her, that signature cocky grin on her face. "And you're lookin' for tips from the most experienced in that area? Can't blame you really."

"Jesus Christ." Bea reluctantly took the seat and already wished she hadn't. "I don't want sex advice. I just..." She was hesitant; talking about this kind of thing was half the problem. Allie was vocal and said whatever the hell she was thinking, whereas she'd never been one to have a way with words. "Okay." She could do this - it was normal for friends to talk about this kind of stuff. "Allie's really sweet and she's always wary that anything we're doing might freak me out...so she literally won't let things get passed a certain stage because she's so terrified I'll have some sort of _non gay_ breakdown and leave."

"What stage are we talking?" Franky was trying to be a normal friend but fucking hell...Bea Smith who had taken about two months to string more than six words together when they first met was now openly talking about her sex life.

Bea breathed out awkwardly. "Uh...she takes her shirt off but never tries to take mine off."

"Right. So when that's happening, is there any hand movements or are they kept to themselves?" How did she go from having casual sex with anyone to not being able to even look at any women - besides Bridget - to the person who now gave out advice.

"Ye..yeah," Bea stuttered out. "There's hand stuff, but she won't ever go...under the shirt."

Franky pondered it for a minute or so. "Right, I know there's a part of you that obviously struggles with the intimacy thing because of your past, and I'm guessing Allie knows about it?" When Bea nodded, Franky continued. "So, if you're talking about this kind of thing...then I'm guessing you obviously want it to go to the next stage?" The silence and the awkward look on Bea's face was confirmation. "So you do it? Next time - tonight I'm guessing - just take your shirt off. You told me about the shower thing so she's already seen the goods. Don't even think and just do it. She'll fucking love that."

"You think?" Bea asked tentatively?

"Fuck yeah!" Franky confirmed with a laugh. "By you doing it, she'll know you're ready for...whatever the fuck you choose to do next."

That made sense. Allie would know she was comfortable and hopefully she'd get the hint that Bea wasn't going anywhere. "Okay yeah." She sat for a minute before eventually standing. "Work out then? And pretend this conversation never happened?"

"Definitely."

Later that night, once she knew everyone had gone to bed, Allie quickly made her way into the cell next door. Bea had tapped her door three times and given her the _signal_. Bea was leaning casually against the wall in her cell right at the door as she entered. "Someone's keen."

Bea only kept that intense look on her face before she quickly pulled her top over her head. "Very keen."

Allie was looking at Bea like it was the first time she'd seen a woman in a bra. It might not have been the first, but Bea was certainly the best. Those abs, Allie couldn't look away. "Bea...we don't have to-"

"Take your shirt off," Bea instructed firmly as Allie's eyes went slightly wide. "Did I not say it loud enough?"

Was she dreaming? This was her biggest fantasy; Bea Smith with _that_ look, telling her to take her clothes off. Allie had the top off in record time before she felt herself pushed firmly against the door and she couldn't help but groan immediately as she was kissed hard and just a little bit rough. Her hands scraped down that toned back as Bea's came to the front of her bra. For a second, she thought her girlfriend was going to back out, but then that soft hand was groping her gently through her bra. She could barely focus on the kissing at this point because what Bea was doing felt that fucking good. As soon as her nipple was touched through her white bra, she broke for air. "Fucking hell!"

"Bed!" Bea dragged the body forward and Allie was flung on to the bed. She quickly climbed on top and that feeling of skin on skin for the first time was better than she could've ever imagined as their bodies were pressed together. Those soft hands pulled her down for another fierce kiss. They kissed for what felt like hours before Allie finally realised Bea wasn't going anywhere and her hand finally came up to gently squeeze and kneed the pert breasts inside that bra. Bea sighed heavily into the kiss. It was never something she'd received pleasure from, but with Allie...everything was different. Those glorious lips were dragged from her lips and moved down to her neck before Allie went for her signature move and took her earlobe between her teeth. It was hard to get words out due to the heavy panting but she forced herself, "Y'know that day in the showers when you did this...it really did something to me."

Allie pulled back to look into those darkened orbs. "It did?" She was surprised Bea didn't look nervous at the words she'd just said. "Can I ask you something?" The red head nodded furiously. "Have you touched yourself since we've been together?"

"No. I...I've thought about it and I've wanted to...but I want the first time to be with you?" Again, Bea forced herself to look at Allie. She trusted her and Allie had been perfect while they'd been together. "I told you sex was never my thing, so I just associated doing that with sex. It's never been something I even thought about until you."

"You mean I'm gonna be the one that makes you cum for the first time?" Allie whispered against the swollen lips below.

Bea could feel it deep within her...just pure arousal caused by Allie and everything she did or said. "Yeah."

Allie just about came on the spot, just knowing she'd be the first person to take Bea to those heights. "Do you know what I did when you left me in the showers that day?"

Swallowing heavy, Bea asked, "What did you do?" From the previous nights and from getting to know Allie's body, Bea pressed her knee up into the blonde's centre causing Allie to cry out loudly. "You touched yourself, didn't you?" she purposely dug her knee in deeper and Allie had to stifle the cry into her neck.

"Babe," Allie tried to warn at how turned on she actually but Bea was continuing the motion and it felt so fucking good. She tried not to but she couldn't help but grind down when Bea lifted her knee up. "Stop," she tried her best to warn but it was right there.

"We have a word we use if we want to stop, you know that. Just say it and it stops," Bea husked out. There were more curse words than she'd ever heard whispered into her ear.

But she didn't say it and Allie cried out into Bea's neck as her entire body went rigid as that release finally hit her. "Ah fuck!" she couldn't help the words from flying out...probably a little louder than they should have. She let the aftershocks take over her before she let herself collapse on to the warm body below. "Fucking hell," she sighed out happily. 

"Is it that easy every time?" Bea asked teasingly. Allie only bit her jaw playfully in return. "You should've said the word." She was torn because dear god, was she more turned on than she ever thought was possible. But she just wasn't quite there yet and she didn't want to force it.

"Fuck, it's so much better with you than doing it yourself...even though you didn't actually even touch me." It was probably her fault; Bea could give her one look and take her top off, and Allie turned into to a turned on teenager that couldn't last more than half a minute.

"When was the last time you did it?" Bea asked curiously.

Allie debated lying but what was the point. "This morning in the shower."

Bea leaned up on her elbow. "Are you even capable of controlling yourself?"

"Not around you," Allie admitted as she started to drift.

"So I'll just sit here high and dry while you get two in one day?" Bea tried to play serious but she couldn't help laugh.

"Babe, you do whatever you want. And when you're ready, I'll do whatever you want." She kissed the red heads neck several times.

"Y'know Maxine's right - you _are_ loud." The fact Allie was so vocal and talkative made her slightly insecure - because she wasn't - but now, it just turned her on to the point she was wishing she was a person who could just get themselves off without even thinking of it.

Allie only laughed. "It's a testament to how hot my girlfriend is; I can't help it. I'm not that loud when I'm by myself - it's all you."

Bea could only watch as those blue eyes fought to stay open. Just as Allie fell into sleep, she swore she heard the mumbling of certain words but she chose to ignore it. In the state she was in, it was probably in her imagination. Game night was officially no longer her favourite night.

Every night with Allie Novak was.

_________________________

Bridget rounded the corned en route to her office, she glanced at her watch - she still had another two hours left of her shift but only one round of paperwork that would take roughly between an hour or just over it. Baring any incidents, she would actually get away at a reasonable time today. She was trying to work out time wise if she had time to cook or of it was best to just order in as Vera was coming round for dinner tonight. Order in, she decided as a tall far, figure came to step directly in front of her. There was a coy smile sneering at her but she fought to remain as professional as possible. 

"Miss Westfall." 

"Joan," Bridget forced out her best forced, tight lipped smile. "How are things? Anything I can help you with?" She'd been warned by Will and Vera to not conduct any therapy sessions with Joan Ferguson and luckily the prisoner hadn't asked. 

That smile was still there as Joan gave a slight shake of the head. "I'm perfectly well, Miss Westfall. I've been lucky enough to make some unexpected friends which has made this tranission much easier." 

Because you're providing them drugs and buying their protection. "Well, I'm glad." She motioned to the paperwork in her hands. "If you'll excuse me, Joan, I've got a tonne of paperwork I need to do before I finish for the day." Surprisingly, there was only a polite smile dropped down at her before she slipped past the woman. It was, of course, to good to be true though as the next words that were flung out into the air made her freeze on the spot. 

"Franky Doyle." 

Bridget was facing away from her at this point but even though she couldn't see Ferguson's face, just the way the words left her mouth made Bridget's blood run cold. She slowly turned around to face the woman yet again. "I'm sorry?" 

"Not what you'd expect, is she?" It was a battle of the poker faces at this point as Joan stood calmly, her head slightly tilted. Bridget forced her best professional, calm face on.

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean." She genuinely didn't, because what was the woman actually getting at? Other that the day they had the chat before Joan entered general, Bridget had little to no interaction with her. "But even if I did, I'm sure you're aware that I couldn't discuss another prisoner with you." 

"I'm perfectly aware of the rules, Bridget," came the quick response... just a simple reminder that she wasn't just any old prisoner, nor would she be seen as one. "Just _Franky_... when you first meet her, all you get is the attitude and the cocky confidence. But eventually, you get to see the real Franky. Such an emotional soul, and if you look at how far she's come since she first entered Wentworth." Bridget could only stand in silence and as much as she knew she should just walk away, when it came to Franky, she simply couldn't. "Her parole isn't far away if I recall, just a few months."

"I'm aware of all the prisoners that are soon up for parole," Bridget said strongly. 

"Its hard not to like her, isn't it?" Joan didn't take those eyes off of the smaller blonde, there were penetrating, just waiting for anything sign of emotion to cross the face in front of her. "Look at Will and Vera. The governer and deputy governer have an emotional attachment to both her and Bea Smith - anyone can see it. It just makes me wonder... how they'd react if anything happened to one of them." 

At this, Bridget could feel her hands starting to shake. "What exactly would happen to them?" 

"Just... pondering." Time to turn it up a notch. "Franky's been top dog for how long, now? Over two years." Joan nodded, satisfied with the answer. "So many friends, so many people that love her. Just how would they react if they saw Franky... lying on the floor with a shiv inside of her. 

"Are you threatening another prisoner?!" Bridget's voice was raised. Her breathing had increased and there was a pit in the bottom of her stomach. 

"Only talking about the inevitable," came the sadistic response. "Bea would be heartbroken... another person she loves gone. I can only imagine the state of Liz and Boomer. I think even Mr Jackson would be on the verge of a breakdown if anything happened to his good _friend_." There was a long pause as Joan's face darkened and the smirk was gone. "And you," she glared at the psychologist. "I can only imagine the state you'd be in. You know, Kim has this idea that you and Franky are... somewhat involved. I'd make use of those cosy private sessions while you can... because the only way Franky Doyle will be leaving this place... is in a coffin!" Bridget only stood frozen to the spot, a glazed look had taken over her face. "Lovely chatting to you, Miss Westfall." 

And with that, she was gone, leaving Bridget to walk as fast as she could to her office before the paperwork in her hands came crashing from her hands and she fell backwards against the door, panting for breath. She tried her best to force air into her lungs but it wasn't possible. She'd had clients in this state and was able to talk them out of it but couldn't manage to do it for herself. The next thing she could register was the floor, she was somehow sitting on the floor. She forced herself to look up at the clock - she'd been sitting there for half an hour and couldn't recall a single minute of it. Gathering the paperwork, she sat it on her desk as neat as possible and left her office. 

Franky was focused as could be as she gently placed two cards atop the masterpiece in front of her. Bea and Allie were doing... whatever they were doing, and she was keeping watch. She'd sat at the chair furthest away from Bea's cell and luckily had heard nothing... so far. She'd barely registered that familiar click she always hoped to hear before Bridget was standing opposite her. "Look at this," she grinned at the card tower, her eyes hadn't looked up as they were firmly focused on the two cards she was trying to place on the top tier. "Fucking masterpiece, ay?" 

"Franky." 

Franky looked up immediately when she heard the panic in Bridget's voice. She got out of her chair even faster when she looked at the face in front of her. "Are you okay? What the fuck's happened?" 

Bridget opened her mouth to speak but flashes of Ferguson and the brunette in front of her lying on the floor with a shiv in her caused her to double over slightly, her breath going away from her again. 

"Red!" Franky yelled out as she watched the blonde struggle to catch her breath. "RED!" 

Bea was out of her cell in an instant, Allie a few seconds behind her.They looked like they'd just been sleeping. "What's happened to her?" She looked at the struggling blonde clutching tightly on to a chair. 

"Sit here and cover for me," Franky said as she guided Bridget to her cell. "Don't let anyone near my cell." Bea nodded in promise and watched the two enter Franky's cell. 

"What the fuck?" Allie questioned in shock. "Do you think she's okay? She looks like she's gonna pass out." 

Bea could only shrug unknowingly. "Somethings happened... it's Ferguson for her to be in this state." The psychologist was possibly the most professional woman Bea had ever seen. She had never seen her look even the slight bit stressed other than the day she'd caught the two of them in Franky's cell. Other than that, Bridget seemed to be the picture of calm and collected.

"Fuck." Allie grasped Bea's hand tightly. "Do you think she'll be okay?" 

"Franky will calm her down." Bea gently kissed Allie's forehead reassuringly before the two of them immediately sprung apart when Maxine entered. 

Maxine couldn't stop the eye roll. "If you two honestly think I don't know what's going on here then you're both stupid." Bea and Allie exchanged wide eyes which only really gave it away more. "Allie, sweetheart, you're a lot louder than what you think." Allie went slightly red and rubbed her hands together awkwardly. "Bea, you're not wearing your tank top that goes all the way up to your neck.... so that hickey is more than visible." 

Bea grabbed her neck and shot a death glare and the sheepish blonde. "What the fuck? Why have you not noticed that?" 

"Bea, you like a woman. A very attractive woman, nice woman, who all your friends also like... nobody cares," Maxine exclaimed to the red head who was still trying to find the mark on her neck. "Allie, you're gonna have to tell Kaz soon. She's your best friend and she's not stupid. I don't think it would be fair if she found out from anyone but you."

"Right, yeah," Allie muttered in agreement. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't help but keep putting it off. Kaz and Bea were on much better terms now Kaz was away from Ferguson, but Allie wasn't really sure if all the bad blood between them was completely gone. 

Bea only sighed. She watched Maxine head to the kitchen and get herself whatever snack it was. "Can you go with her while Westfall is here? I don't want her panicking when she comes out and there's people around."

"Yeah, babe. Come get us though when it's settled." She had that teasing look on her face as she gave Bea a quick kiss and made up some excuse about wanting some fresh air and Bea having a headache. Plus, she did genuinely want Maxine's advice on how to tell Kaz so luckily their friend agreed while Bea kept watch.

Having had several in her life, Franky could tell the similarities. "I think you're having a panic attack." There was no response, only heavy breathing as Bridget tried to catch her breath. "Sit down." She had to practically carry the smaller woman to her bed. "Can you look at me?" One of Bridget's hands was at her chest and the other was at her side, grasping it like she had a stitch from running. "Give me your hands," she instructed quietly before taking the shaking set into her own. "You need to look at me?" She nodded when Bridget was able to. "Just keep looking at me. Everything's okay. Red's got us covered; we're safe. You're safe, okay?"

Franky was making her do her own breathing technique that she'd showed the brunette. Eventually, her breathing returned to normal but the nauseous feeling wouldn't quite go away. The state of panic had completely exhausted her, all she wanted to do was lie down on the bed and sleep. There was no clock in her room so Franky had no idea how long it had been...she'd guess maybe ten minutes or so. Bridget's breathing was almost normal but her face was completely pale and her eye make up was slightly out of touch.

"I need you to tell me what happened? Was it Ferguson...did she hurt you?" At the mention of the name, Bridget went even paler if possible. Franky got off the floor where she'd been kneeling below Bridget and sat next to her on the bed. "Gigde, I can't do anything if you don't tell me."

"I should never have taken this job," Bridget laughed to herself. "I can't do this anymore." She'd managed twenty years and faced every situation possible in a prison, but now she was in love with a prisoner who was being targeted by a psychopath. Franky's life essentially had an expiration date and that was all she could think about.

Franky was taken aback. "Why would you say that? Are you gonna leave?" Now, it was Franky who was starting to panic. If Bridget left, she'd never see her again. She'd need to live for months in here without trying to catch a glimpse of that wavy blonde hair that always made her day.

"I should...but I can't," Bridget admitted sadly. "It's bad enough needing to leave here every weekend and not have a clue what's happening to you. How the hell could I cope somewhere else?"

The more she had thought about it since their last session, the more Franky realised Bridget was right and that she was insecure. They could say things to each other in a round about way without them actually saying the words. "Look, I don't do well with this kinda stuff...but its not easy for my either. All I think about is Kim paying some lifer to have at you and it's fucking terrifying."

"Y'know there's this term called transference?" Bridget said, though she wasn't quite able to look at the eyes she could feel on her. "Basically, in a patient/therapist relationship, romantic feelings can develop."

"Well now you're kinda putting words in my mouth," Franky tried her best to ease the tension she was feeling, but Bridget could barely look up.

"I wasn't talking about you, Franky."

And there it was, out there in the open. The words that had been held in by both were finally out there. Franky's heart was hammering in a way it never had. Did she want Bridget? God, she wanted her more than she'd ever wanted anything. But Bridget deserved better than her. "Well, I'll be out of here - or dead - in however many months. You won't have to see me or be around me...so you'll be fine."

This time, Bridget did look, and the look was that of pure anger. "You'll think I'll just forget about you and I can go back to living normally again?!" Franky cringed at the slight harshness directed at her. "It doesn't work like that, Franky. You're not a person that's easy to forget; look at the state of Kim because of you."

"What did Ferguson say?" Franky tried diffuse the anger in the room.

"That the inevitable was you...on the floor with a shiv inside of you," Bridget whispered out and immediately looked away. She couldn't get the image out of her head, it was the same as the day Franky had been shivved, except now all she could see was Franky collapsed in the middle of her office. And blood. Just blood everywhere.

Franky stood up and cleared her throat. "Go to your office." She squared her shoulders and took the few steps to the cell door.

"Where are you going?" Bridget stood up in a panic. When the brunette turned around, she recognised the look straight away. It was those green eyes every time that gave everything away. "No!"

"I have to." It was her job to protect the women and that included Vera and Bridget. And Ferguson had scared Bridget half to death...so she had to be taught a lesson. "Don't go to Vera or Will. Walk to your office and go nowhere else."

Bridget had Franky's wrist in a tight grip. "Please. Please don't do this." Her voice had cracked and for the second time in two days, she had tears in her eyes because of Franky. "She could kill you."

"It's my job. I signed up for it so I deal with it, Gidge." She made a move for the door again but the smaller woman wouldn't loosen her grip.

"What about me?" Bridget sobbed, and the noise alone broke Franky's heart. "What am I supposed to do if you walk in there and don't walk out?"

Franky clenched her eyes shut. "Don't." She looked and she was done for; Bridget had tears in her eyes and the were practically begging. "Just...let me go."

"No."

"Why are you doing this to me?! Why are you making this so fucking hard?" Franky all but yelled. She leaned herself against the back of the cell door. "If this was anyone else, I'd have left and not looked back." Her body had given up - Bridget's words had defeated her. "I bet you're wishing you never forced me into those fucking sessions now."

Bridget relaxed slightly when she saw those eyes soften. "I kind of wish you stayed that dickhead I met the first day in Vera's office."

"Yeah I hated your guts that day," Franky admitted with a light laugh.

"I think you should switch therapists." Franky immediately forced her hand away once the words were out. "I'm compromising you. It's not fair. I want you to have the best chance at parole you possibly can."

"You're ditching me?" Franky asked in disbelief.

Bridget could only grimace. She knew it was one of Franky's biggest fears - rejection. "Franky...this isn't what I want. All I want is what's best for you. Surely you know that after what I've just told you?"

This time, Franky took Bridget's hand. "Then don't leave? You didn't let me so this needs to work both ways."

Fighting the inner turmoil, Bridget eventually conceded. "Okay." Was it wrong? Probably. But the line was already crossed - she'd crossed it by falling for the brunette.

Franky sighed in relief and gently pulled the blonde towards her. Bridget had her bigger heels on so the height difference was barely there. The hug was different than the last one; they were holding each other like it was the last time they'd ever get to. Franky pulled back slowly, her cheek dragging against Bridget's as she did so. Their foreheads were pressed together and the air was suddenly thick. Bridget closed her eyes as Franky's thumb came to stroke at her cheek. Those lips were right in front of her...the lips she'd thought about kissing since they'd first met. "Franky," she whispered out. The gentle hum she got in response didn't help, it practically vibrated though her due to them being that close. "I can't. I want to...but I can't."

Nodding, Franky looked into those blue eyes she now fully realised she was in love with. "You have to force yourself to go...because I don't want to let you."

It took everything Bridget had in her to walk to that cell door. She almost caved - _almost_. But with one last look, she was out of the cell, quickly thanking Bea before she was heading out of the unit. There was no point in questioning anything because there was only one answer.

Franky.

She'd unintentionally fallen in love with a prisoner...a prisoner who - on their first meeting - she thought was going to be her biggest problem. And Franky was her biggest problem - just not in the way she predicted.

"Franky," Bea sighed out quietly as she saw the sight of her best friend.

Franky looked up from the floor, her eyes streaming with tears. "I love her, Red." She was done for, and completely in love with Bridget Westfall - a woman she physically couldn't ever have. "What the fuck am I going to do?"

Bea sat down and wrapped her arm around the brunettes shoulders. Soon enough, she could feel Franky's tears on the crook of her neck as her friend sobbed into her. "It's gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay."

That was the least of any of their worries...

Because Sean Brody had just smuggled two guns into the prison. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Ballie had a great night and Bridget had her worst day so far. Honestly, I wouldn't wish writing Joan Ferguson on anyone - kudos to the writers who do it so perfectly. Next chapter will see two from the group targeted by Ferguson. Cant wait for the new episode tomorrow even though I'm in the UK, I love having it to wake up to on a Tuesday. Thanks to anyone reading and commenting.
> 
> WWFan10


	8. Promise

Franky went about tidying the kitchen. It was her day for clean up, so Will had locked the doors from the outside, meaning the mess was currently inaccessible to prisoners. The fridge was opened while several items were put away. "What the fuck?!" she yelled out at the intruder in front of her. "Are you trying to fucking kill me?"

Bridget jumped back as she saw the figure. "Vera said the kitchen staff leave at 10:30am after breakfast," Bridget exclaimed, her hand covering her heart in fright. She was expecting the kitchen to be empty.

"They _do_. But they do a half fucking job cleaning it, which means I need to fucking do it properly." Franky's breathing returned to normal when she realised who it was. "Why are you in the kitchen? You're never in the fucking kitchen?" She looked at the sheepish blonde who was smiling innocently. "You're here to steal food, aren't you?"

"Of course not," Bridget laughed but stopped after a second when she looked at the judgmental, knowing face. "Right, okay. I am."

"Fuck sake, Gigde." Franky shook her head though she couldn't help but laugh slightly. "Y'know I actually worked out how much you earn...roughly. And you're in here...stealing food from prisoners who get fed absolute shit. You could eat at a five star restaurant every night if you wanted. Is this one of the low points in your life?"

Bridget looked up, embarrassment covering her face. "Now that you've said it out loud, I'm realising it is."

"Thought so." Franky nodded promptly.

"Sooo?" Bridget asked sweetly.

Franky only tutted. "Afraid I can't, Gidge." She pointed to the sign that said no food was to be taken from the kitchen.

"You're defying me of food? I'm gonna be here all day. Do you have any idea how much paperwork I have to finish?" Bridget had to fight the groan as Franky only hopped up on one of the counters.

"And that's my fault...why?" Franky teased lightly. Would she make Bridget a three course lunch? Yes. Would she also tease her before she did so though? That was also a yes.

"Please?" And with one look, Franky was jumping back off the counter.

Was she that under the thumb even though they weren't remotely together? Bridget could give her one look and Franky would cave just like that? "What do you want?"

"There's only a toaster and a microwave so bread is fine - I'll have toast." Bridget eyed the look of disgust on Franky's face.

"Toast?!" Franky repeated in horror. Bridget didn't cook, it was painfully obvious. "I'm curious...what did you have for dinner last night?"

Bridget avoided the the scrutinising look. "Uh..it was pasta...in a white sauce."

Franky hummed. "What did you use to make the sauce with?"

Think. She could cook but hadn't in so long. "Cream?"

"You don't cook, do you?" Franky eyed the blonde closely.

"Yes. I do." Bridget gave a shocked laugh.

Franky, however, was shaking her head slowly, completely unamused. "Microwave doesn't count."

"Right...then no," Bridget admitted, barely above a whisper. "Franky, I work long hours and I have to walk the dog when I get home. I don't have the patience to stand in a kitchen making dinner when I could just use a microwave instead."

"You don't find it therapeutic?" It was a surprise, this being the first they had seen each other since that day in her cell where they'd both confessed their feelings - but luckily, there was no awkwardness or tension.

"No," Bridget answered sharply. "I'd find it therapeutic to watch someone cook me dinner...but I'm absolutely not doing it myself."

Franky had turned on the hob and was heating the frying pan. "Just sit and shut up."

"What are you doing?" Bridget eyed the woman from behind.

Franky pointed to the sign that but didn't look. "No food out the kitchen, Gidge." She turned around with a smile. "Same rules for everyone."

Bridget couldn't help but smile slightly. This one...this was her favourite Franky. The one that was light and care free. The one that was care free and could smile without anyone wondering if they saw her. The one who took a spare fifteen minutes out of her day to make her food. Franky was incredibly sweet but without actually realising it, which only made her more sweet to Bitdget. 

"Right," Franky flipped the last on to the plate. "Here. A non microwaved, non take out meal - try not to shock your system too much."

Bridget took the plate with a thank you. She noticed Franky eyeing her closely. "What?"

"No eye make up. No fancy hair do. What's gotten into you?" She had never seen Bridget without make up before.

"I look like shit - thanks for pointing it out," Bridget stated pointedly and jabbed harshly at the food. "I didn't sleep so I slept in. I came in to several breakdowns from the weekend and they take first priority so I need to try and move appointments. The Monday to Friday isn't working, especially with people using drugs - I can't be gone for two days. The women can't be left unaided for two days, it's not fair to them. I need to speak to Vera about changing to shifts so it works better."

"You don't look like shit," was all Franky could manage to say quietly. "I just..you're not. You don't need make up to look nice." Franky spun around quickly and started washing the frying pan. She could feel the redness cover her face in embarrassment so decided it was best to keep her back turned till that was gone.

There was a possibility Franky was slightly biased but the words still meant something. She couldn't remember the last time someone had told her she looked nice. "How was the weekend?"

"Well,' Franky puffed out. "On Saturday, the count woke me really fucking early like it always does. I then had tea with everyone and we talked for a bit. Got changed and went to the treadmills with Bea. Then, I had a shower. Decided to study for a bit which is obviously really fucking exciting on a Saturday. Fuck, what did I do next?"

"Okay!" Bridget interrupted the pointless ramble. "I meant, was everything okay? I know this place bores the hell out of you, anyone with any intelligence would struggle in here."

"Then why am I scared to leave?" Franky asked quietly. It had been something she'd been dreading, although she hadn't mentioned it to anyone. If it all went plain sailing, she'd have a parole hearing and need to leave everyone she cared about behind. "Part of me thinks I'd be better off here."

"Why would you even say that?" Bridget watched as the younger woman face filled with doubt and insecurity. "You did something and you've done your time, Franky. I know I didn't know you four years ago but you are not the same person."

Franky grabbed the now empty plate and almost flung into the sink. "I've got nothing outside of here. I have no friends. I don't speak to my dad. What's the fucking point? I've got friends here, I don't wanna leave them."

Bridget hesitated for a second before she asked the question, "Why don't we think about contacting your dad?" Clearly, that was not the right reaction as Franky only stared a hole through her. "Just hear me out. You've changed - who's to say he hasn't?"

"He left his fucking child with an arsehole drunk and never looked back!" Franky spat out through gritted teeth.

"That's not true though." Bridget leaned forward, unconsciously taking up her usual _therapist_ pose. "He came to visit you....around three years ago or so? And he still requests to visit you."

Franky was a bit taken aback. How the fuck did Bridget remember every single detail? "How do you even know that?"

"I've read your file, you know that," Bridget reminded with a smirk.

"How many fucking times to remember a detail as small as that?" She had a pretty decent memory but Bridget seemed so on the ball all the fucking time.

Waving a dismissive hand, she replied, "That's irrelevant." She'd read the file more than she'd read anyone else's. "Just...why don't you have a think about your dad? And maybe think about discussing this in a session instead of leaning against the door in a rage."

Franky gave the blonde a look of disapproval. "Certain stuff...I've told you, I've never talked about that kind of thing so when you ask me to - it's hard. Feelings and emotions...I'm not good at it because I've never done it."

Bridget struggled when Franky said things like that. She was twenty eight and could barely talk about anything she was feeling. "I know it's difficult but the more we do it, the more you'll get used to it."

"I don't think you can fix me in the time we've got, Gigde," Franky said with a small shrug.

"You don't need fixing," Bridget responded instantly. "There's nothing wrong with you."

"Yeah well, we can agree to disagree on that one." Franky felt her gut sink a little when Bridget looked at her watch. "I'll uh...see you. I gotta go shower anyway." She'd stay there all day if she could, just the two of them, but it was never going to be possible.

Bridget softly smiled. "Thank you for the non microwaved meal."

"No worries." She watched Bridget give her a little wave as as made her way out of the kitchen. "I miss you...when you're not here," the words flew out as she looked at the blonde's retreating form. When Bridget turned around, Bridget had that same sad, longing look she's had last week in her cell. "Just forget I said it. Go, please. I can't look at you when you've got that look on your face."

"I don't have this look because you said it," Bridget said sadly, her head tilted as she looked at the brunette. "I have this look because I have to stop myself from saying it back." Again, she forced herself to turn around and leave Franky. And if she was honest, she had no idea how many more times she could walk away.

___________________

Kaz forced herself to nod as Mercado initiated the greeting first. "You seen Ferguson?"

"No, that's who I'm lookin' for," Kaz's forced herself to lie.

Mercado glanced around, making sure there was no one around her and her other three crew members. "We're going after Jackson. If anything happen, you cover and say you saw us?"

Kaz nodded, though her stomach had dropped. "What are you doing to him?" She had to keep a sly grin on her face to make sure she wasn't found out.

"He's finishing in the kitchen." She showed Kaz the top of the shiv that was settled in her teal trousers. "He's done. Ferguson's order."

Fucking hell, they weren't beating him - they were planning to kill him. Mercado gave a nod before starting to head off. "Hey," Kaz called out. Tina looked around. "Get one in for me."

Tina and her girls smirked and then they were gone. "Fuck." Think. Get to Bea and Franky? That couldn't work; Mercado's gang were already on there way. "Fucking hell." She sprinted down the corridor looking for the first officer she could find. "Miss Miles," she breathed out heavily when the blonde came into sight.

Linda only grimaced. "What do you want, Proctor?"

"Mr Jackson is in danger," Kaz said hurriedly, much to the un-amusement of the officer. "There's a gang after him. You have to do something."

"Go back to your unit, Proctor," Linda ordered before attempting to walk away. 

Kaz grabbed her arm. "He's in danger!" 

"You've just put your hands on an officer. I should slot you." Linda glared at the prisoner.

"Then fucking slot me," Kaz deadpanned and reached for Linda's radio. "Mr Jackson. Are you there?"

Linda went to grab Kaz but the reply on the radio halted her slightly. "Proctor? Is that you?"

"Will, listen to me. Get out of the kitchen right now, there's a gang on their way and they're armed." Kaz waited for the response and even Linda was staring at the radio. They waited but nothing came. "Why isn't he responding?"

Linda shook her head, taking the radio back. "Sierra 7, this is Sierra 5. I need visuals on the kitchen immediately; we have a suspected attack on an officer."

"Attack on an officer?" Vera's voice came back quickly.

"Proctor thinks there's a gang after Mr Jackson. I've asked for a response from him but got nothing. What do you want me to do, Governor?"

There was a few seconds of silence. "Escort Proctor to her unit and then check in once you're done." 

Linda did that, much to Kaz's protest. "No! We have to check on him, he could be dead!" An attack on Jackson, Kaz couldn't stop herself from thinking she'd probably be involved if she hadn't left Ferguson's crew. Kaz argued the entire way back to the unit.

"Proctor, if you don't shut your mouth, I swear I'll slot you," Linda seethed as she pointed to the unit in which Bea, Franky, Allie, and Boomer were now standing.

"What's going on?" Bea questioned to the officer.

Linda gave Proctor a final shove into the unit and went to lock the door.

"Smiles, it's the fucking afternoon - you can't lock us in!" Franky exclaimed and came to stand beside Bea at the gate.

"Nobody goes in our out of this unit until I say so." Linda jogged lightly down the hall away from the unit.

Allie was up at Kaz who looked close to tears. "Kaz, what the fuck's going on?"

"Fucking Mercado," Kaz spat out, hands going to her hair in distress. "She stopped me and told me she was going after Will, on Ferguson's orders. I radioed him to warn him and he answered....and then it went silent."

One of Franky's hands went over her face. "Shit!"

"They had fucking shivs." The group looked at each other in shock at the confession. Bea and Franky looked like they were going to collapse, both had terrified faces but couldn't find any words.

**_ATTENTION COMPOUND! ATTENTION COMPOUND! THIS IS A CODE BLUE! ALL PRISONERS RETURN TO THEIR UNITS IMMEDIATELY!_ **

"It's not a code black?" Allie looked at Bea and then to Franky. "If he was injured, they'd have called a code black."

"Wha...what if he's already dead?" Boomer asked the question they were all thinking. If he was seriously injured, there would be an announcement for medical assistance. But there was nothing.

Around twenty minutes had passed. Everyone had stayed in the communal area waiting for...anything. Some were sitting, some were standing, Franky and Bea were unable to stop pacing. Allie couldn't comfort Bea because they were still keeping everything a secret. Clicking of heels became apparent and everyone looked to see who it was.

It was Vera.

And Will was just behind her.

Heavy sighs of relief were let out as the two officers made their way into the unit.

"You're alive," Franky mimicked his words to her from a few weeks ago with a grin.

Will gave her one back. "Indeed I am." He turned to look at the still worried blonde who was against the wall. "Thanks to you," He gave an appreciative grin and nodded his head.

"Well what the fuck happened?" Bea asked impatiently. What was with all the weird staring that had suddenly started with everyone? She glanced between Kaz and Will who were giving each other the odd glance.

"Uh, I was finishing up in the kitchen when Proctor radioed me. I managed to get myself to the secure side and a second later they came through the opposite side. They had some sort of mask and there hoods were up so I've no fucking idea who it was and we can't go to who we know did it without any evidence," Will explained, much to his own frustration and everyone else's.

"She told me what she was-"

Bea held a firm hand up and cut Kaz off, "Stop. They'll figure out it was you and no one is getting put in unnecessary danger."

"I agree." Will looked at Kaz. "We're not doing that. We have to go and check the CCTV. Just...stick to the plan. They're gonna slip up at sometime. They're lifting the code blue now so we have to go."

They all watched the two leave the unit. "But, like...I thought we had no plan?" Boomer asked in confusion.

"That's the point," Bea sighed out and looked up to meet the gaze across from her. The eyebrows were raised questioningly and she nodded. "Liz, Kaz, Allie - you need to stay here. Boomer, Maxi - let's go."

"Please tell me we're bashing someone...it's been so fucking long since we got to bash someone," Boomer all but begged.

"Bea!" Allie grabbed her girlfriend's wrist. "What are you doing?"

Bea let herself out of the grasp. "Stay here. I mean it." She knew she was slightly harsh when a flash of hurt crossed that beautiful face. "Just sit with Kaz and Liz. We'll be back. I promise."

Allie could only watch as the four disappeared out of the unit. She tried to follow but Kaz wouldn't let her and forced her to sit down. Unbeknonwing to Allie, her friend sat across from her was currently realising what was going on. She'd went in to Allie's cell a few nights ago when she couldn't sleep but it was empty. The immediate assumption was Allie and Franky; they were both gay and Kaz had noticed they seemed to get on really well. But after watching closely for the past few days, Kaz had realised she was wrong. Allie was clearly on with one of the top dogs - it just wasn't Franky.

_**ATTENTION COMPOUND! ATTENTION COMPOUND! THIS IS A CODE BLACK! MEDICAL ASSISTANCE REQUIRED IN H BLOCK BATHROOM!** _

Allie could only look at the door, silently begging for the group that had left half an hour ago to walk back through. "Thank god," she breathed out in relief as all four slipped back into the unit safely. She stood up from the table and went to Bea first without even realising Kaz was watching. "What happened?"

"Someone's got a few broken fingers," Boomer said with a grin.

Bea took a step back and rounded to sit at the table, though she was also unaware that Kaz had seen her brush Allie's shoulder as she passed.

And Kaz was far from happy with it.

_____________________________

"Will. Thanks." Bridget smiled at the Deputy who returned the smile.

"Have fun," he offered up before leaving the two alone.

Almost straight away, Franky could tell Bridget looked far from happy. Usually when she had _that_ look, it was always Franky who had angered her. "Hey." She flopped into the chair and watched Bridget eye her carefully. "Right. Go on then - what have I done this time?"

"Why don't you tell me?" Bridget fired back. All that came was a questioning gaze from those green eyes. "I hear Tina Mercado is in medical from yesterday; ten broken fingers."

"So I heard," Franky offered up and held the gaze.

"So we're playing this game?" Bridget couldn't stop herself from rising to her feet and forcing the blinds shut. "Do you think I'm stupid?!" 

Franky rubbed her face awkwardly. "What do you want me to say? I don't understand how you can't comprehend that there are rules in here, Gidge. Even the Governor knows who did it and she's not acting the way you are."

"You are up for parole in almost three months - is that something you want to jeopardize?" Bridget was fuming at how nonchalant Franky was acting.

"When are you gonna just," Franky trailed off as her anger raised. "Just fucking understand that I'm one of the two people that needs to protect these women. Mercado has gone and got people on drugs again; there's people that were clean that are now addicted. Look at Kim...she's never touched a fucking drug and now she's off her face on smack every day."

Bridget blew out a heavy breath at the mention of Franky's ex. She had to see the woman in some form most days, knowing that she'd been intimate with the woman Bridget loved. And what did she get? She could get nothing. "I don't want you doing anything like that again."

There was a slight silence before Franky responded. "I'm sorry, but this isn't something you can control. I get that you don't like the position I'm in, but that's the reality...it's my _position_. There's nothing I can do."

"You could walk away?" Bridget offered desperately.

"For fucks sake." Franky suddenly found herself standing. " _Walk away_? You want me to leave Bea with everything? You think I could just turn my back, knowing anything could happen to any of them? I am not fucking walking away."

"Then I think I need to," Bridget said softly as she slowly walked back to her chair. She couldn't deal with it anymore. Franky was in constant danger and because of it she was in constant pain and worry. "I need to transfer you to the other psych."

Franky was torn between wanting to scream at the woman or hug her. "We're back to that again then?"

"I'm compromised." Bridget looked up and she could feel the exhaustion caused by the whole situation pouring out of her. "I can't sleep. I can barely think straight. I'm exhausted, Franky." 

"Nuh." Franky retreated to the door. "So it's my fault you're in this state...I've done this to you?" 

"I done it to myself," Bridget said emptily. She was done - it was impossible to be around Franky without actually being with her, and any time she wasn't with her all she could do was worry. "I fell for a prisoner. You've done nothing wrong."

"So you leave...like everybody else?" Franky shook her head sadly. Tears were pricking at her eyes and it only worsened when Bridget avoided her gaze completely. "I thought you were different...but you're just the fucking same as every other person whose left."

And with that, the door was opened and then slammed. Bridget sat for a minute or so before forcing herself up. She hurried quickly out of her office and made her way to the main corridor. Luckily, Franky hadn't gone far and was standing against a wall with Bea. "Franky, we haven't finished our sess-"

"Something's happened to her." Franky's eyes were wide as she turned to look at Bridget. Bea's weight fell against her and she had to brace her friend against the wall to remain standing. "Hey, you're okay. Red, can you look at me?" She waited for a reaction and turned to Bridget when Bea's head just flopped down. There were words coming out but it just sounded like quiet gibberish.

"I think she's been drugged. Get her to my office." Bridget helped Franky carry the almost dead weight back to Bridget's office. Franky laid Bea on the floor gently and slipped her hoodie off to put under her friends head. Bridget went to her radio straight away. "Sierra 5, come in."

"Go ahead, Bridget," Vera returned.

"I've got Bea Smith in my office. I think she's been drugged; she's conscious but barely. We need an ambulance immediately."

There was no response but Vera was entering the office in under two minutes. "What's happened?"

"I found her slumped against the wall." Franky let her hand be gripped by the barely conscious red head. "You're okay, yeah? Can you say my name?" In the background, she could make out Bridget telling Vera that she'd clearly been given something.

"Fr...Franky," Bea breathed out. "I have to...meet Allie."

Franky forced her friend back down gently when she attempted to sit up. "You need to stay here. We think you've been drugged - do you remember anything?"

"I don't...we're against drugs. I didn't take anything." Bea's eyes were wide as she looked around for Allie. "Allie? ALLIE?" She started to become distressed when her girlfriend wouldn't appear.

"She's fucking panicking." Franky looked at the two sets of eyes. "You need to get Allie. What if she has a fucking heart attack?"

Vera's worry increased as Bea became only more and more distressed. "Sierra 3, I need Novak located and escorted to Miss Westfall's office immediately."

"Copy that, Governor," Will replied sharply.

It was now taking both Bridget and Franky to keep Bea in a calm state on the floor. "Franky, what's happened?"

"We think you've been drugged. How do you feel?" Franky watched as Bea deflated slightly.

"I don't feel...so good," Bea admitted heavily. She gripped Franky's hand even tighter. "Please stay."

Franky blinked several times to stop her eyes watering. "I'm not leaving you, I promise."

Bea smiled when the door opened. "All...Allie."

Allie dropped to the floor in an instant. "Hey." She grabbed her girlfriend's other hand and she was crying within seconds. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I thought...you'd stood me up," Bea gazed into those shiny blue eyes. She managed to lift her hand to touch Allie's soft cheek. "You're my beautiful girl." Will and Vera exchanged a glance as they heard the words.

Allie choked out a sob. "Bea, you're scaring me."

"Can w..we sleep?" Bea stuttered out before her eyes drifted shut.

"Bea? BEA?!" Allie had to be pulled back by Franky as Will and Bridget moved in to assess the now unconscious top dog. "Is she breathing?!" Her voice was bordering on hysterical as she tried to fight Franky's grip to get closer.

"ALLIE?!" Franky yelled loudly, her hands coming to rest on the blonde's shaking shoulders. "They're trying to help her."

Will looked up in confusion. "She's unconscious but her breathing is no different."

"Rohypnol?" Two voices spoke at the same time.

"What the fuck is that?" Allie looked between Franky and Bridget who had spoken. "Is she gonna die?!"

"You think she's been given the date rape drug?" Will asked while keeping his hand on Bea's pulse.

Franky tried to piece what she could together all the while dealing with a hysterical Allie. "If it's Roofies then..."

"Then they were given to knock her out for something to been done to her?" Bridget finished. It suddenly came to her. "My schedule is posted in the staff room since the incident here with Kim."

"Sean has access to that," Vera realised as it clicked in place for everyone. "He'd have known Franky was here so they'd have a clear shot at Bea without worrying about Franky being there."

"Ferguson drugged her?!" Allie all but screamed. Franky gave in and let the wrestling blonde back to the floor. "Bea, can you hear me?"

Bridget took Allie's hand. "Allie, the drug sedates you heavily. It's like she's been given a sleeping tablet - she won't be able to hear you."

"But she'll be okay?" Allie looked at Bridget pleadingly.

"If its not a fatal dose then-"

"Fata?!" Allie began to hyperventilate.

Franky was quick to grab the shaking blonde. "Was that fucking necessary, telling her that?" she spat at the blonde who was at Bea's side.

"I am not lying to her. All we're doing is guessing here anyway - we don't know what she's been given. She deserves to know what we're talking about." Bridget imagined if the situation was reversed and it were Franky on the floor. She would need to know what had possibly happened.

Will got up all of a sudden and stormed out of the office. Vera opened the door and shouted after him but he didn't look back. "I need an ETA on the paramedics," Vera radioed.

"They're just being let in, Governor. Less than five minutes."

Will burst back through the door a few minutes later, a small bag in his hand. "It's rohyipnol." He held up the small bad that had three tablets remaining. "It says on the bag. There is a shit load of every fucking drug imaginable in there. The...the sink in the kitchen was filled with water and there's a pair of...black gloves."

"Jesus Christ," Vera sighed out, a hand coming to her head.

"What the fuck was she gonna do to her?" Franky asked in bewilderment.

Vera quickly met the paramedics at the elevator and led them to the office. Allie could only sob as she watched Bea being lifted on to a stretcher. "Miss Bennett, please let me go with her?" the blonde begged through heavy tears.

"Allie, I can't. I'm sorry. There's rules in place that I can't break; I would if I could, I swear," Vera promised. Even she could feel herself tearing up at the sight of Allie crying into Franky's shoulder.

"You have to give them the drugs, Mr Jackson." Allie's glazed over eyes nodded to the bag in his hand.

"No!" Franky said forcefully. She wanted to but she had made Bea a promise that couldn't be broken.

Allie took a step away from Franky. "Franky, they need to do test the fucking tablets to make sure she's not poisoned."

"They go back where they were. I made her a promise that I'd protect you if anything happened and if those drugs go missing, then you're in danger," Franky stood her ground. "They'll do a blood test - that's quicker than testing a tablet." Allie was about to protest but Franky cut in, "Listen to me, she's my best fucking friend and I need her to be okay as much as you do. But her priority is you and I have to keep that promise."

"We really have to get her going," one of the paramedics.

Allie broke down as the gurney was lead out of the office. "What if she dies?" Her legs had gone but Franky was holding her up. "I never told her I loved her. What if I don't get to tell her?"

Franky clenched her eyes, willing herself not to break. "She's not gonna die. You can tell her as soon as she's back." Bridget's slightly teary eyes landed on her own. "You can tell her you love her when she's back. It's gonna be okay."

Bridget broke the intense stare and tried not to focus too much on the words. She couldn't help think what would happen if it was Franky instead of Bea. She'd probably be in the exact same state as Allie.

____________________

"Bridget," Vera sped up as best she could despite the increasing weight on her middle.

Bridget slowed down. "Hey. Everything okay?"

"Yip, everything's fine." Vera was slightly out of breath. "Bea's coming back in about an hour...much to Novak's delight." The top dog had spent two days in hospital and as suspected, was spiked with a rather large dose of Rohypnol. She'd taken around a day to feel back to normal and then kept in another day as precaution. Both herself and Will had sat and watched Ferguson on camera as much as they could from when it happened, but as usual - there was no trace. "Did you manage to convince Franky to see her dad?"

Bridget had kept her distance since the incident with Bea and from the way Franky purposely ducked her head every time they passed each other, Franky was doing the exact same. "We spoke about it and I asked her to think about it but she didn't really seem-"

"She's just accepted one of his visit request forms." Vera held up the slip of paper and handed it to the shocked blonde. "He's been sending them every few weeks since his last visit years ago but any time it's mentioned she shuts it down. She's requested a box visit obviously, same as last time."

Bridget looked at the date. It had been accepted yesterday and the visit was happening this afternoon. "Can we change this to a regular visit? She doesn't need a box visit."

Vera's eyes widened slightly. "Bridget, I know Franky has changed a lot...but she's barely acknowledged he existed for three years. He left her and she suffered years of trauma because of it, trauma that I think still troubles her a lot. I'm sorry but I have my reservations, especially with her having her parole in almost three months - I don't want her making one last stupid mistake that costs her that."

"Vera, I'm asking you to trust me on this," Bridget encouraged, though Vera still looked unconvinced. "I'm positive that she won't do anything that endangers him or her parole. She needs this, she needs to believe that she's not this monster of a person. She is not a danger - I'm 100% sure of this.. Please...trust me."

"Okay," Vera agreed with a nod. "I'll go and tell her it's been changed." She tilted her head slightly, a rueful smile on her lips. "I know we're friends and everything...but you are taking the full responsibility for this. She is gonna fly off the handle when I tell her."

Bridget could only sigh. "Just send her to me when she kicks off, I'm positive it'll take less than thirty seconds." She looked at her watch to check the time. "So, I'll expect you in around fifteen minutes?"

Vera gave her friend's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "I'm so glad you're here and I don't have to deal with these kinds of things anymore."

Yeah, she was absolutely done for. Maybe she'd have time for a quick coffee before Franky was kicking her door down. As suspected, Bridget's door was chapped...eleven minutes later. She'd barely finished her call of _come in_ when the door was opened and Vera quickly let Franky enter before she was gone. "Good morning."

"You changed my fucking visit?"

"No time for pleasantries today then." She stood ip from her desk and gestured to the chair. "Sit. Please."

"I'll stand," Franky bit back. "I think those chairs are reserved for people you don't fuck off to other people."

That one stung just a bit. "Franky," Bridget began slowly. "You're still under my care. You haven't been transferred to any other psychologist."

"I'm good, thanks." Franky didn't even bother to look. She'd assumed her usual defensive pose against the door. "I'd rather see the other guy. I've got enough going on without you fucking picking and choosing when you want to see me."

"Jesus." She looked at the brunette who hadn't moved an inch nor looked at her once. "Can you...can you just sit down and hear my out? Just hear me out and if you want to leave and change to Michael after you've listened to me, then I promise I'll do the transfer paperwork as soon as you leave."

Franky was hesitant, but after a few seconds she found herself slowly trotting towards the chair. "Fine. Why have I not been transferred? You seemed pretty fucking set on it last time."

"I was, Bridget admitted as she unsuccessfully tried to get Franky to look at her. "And then you said what you said and I couldn't face being one of those people who hurt you. I know you think that I ditched you and I did... but I came after you as soon as you left. Franky, the problem isn't that I don't want to see you...it's the exact opposite. I always want to see you but I have to stop myself because I cannot cross the line any further than I already have. What happened to Bea...all I could think was _what if that was you._ What if you left thinking I didn't give a shit and something happened to you. I'm sorry that I bailed, but please just give me a second chance?"

Franky only rubbed her hands together. She'd been left more times than she could count, but Bridget was right - she was the only one came back. "You can't ask me to stop being top dog or to not do something because you don't like the thought of it. Do me and Bea want an easy life in here? Of course we fucking do. Gidge, this isn't gonna stop until Ferguson's gone from here or she's dead. Even if I walked away, she'd still target me. If it was just a fucking drug ring ran by Tina, we'd have stopped it the first day...but it's not. The woman is a psychopath, you know it and so do I. I am not leaving this prison while she's still here...and I need you to accept that and not try to change my mind. Can you do that?"

Could she? It was going to be as close to impossible as she could ever imagine. But it was Franky - there was no other option. "Okay," she agreed quietly. "You need to talk to me about everything though. I need to know what's going on Franky because the not knowing is driving me fucking crazy."

"Fine." Franky nodded curtly, much to Bridget's sigh of relief. "Right, so can we change that visit back?"

"No." Bridget got up to put the kettle on. "You don't need a box visit. I need you to realise that you are not a danger. Vera's left this in my hands, which means if you decide to get up and strangle anyone - I'll possibly lose my job."

"Now you're just guilt tripping me," Franky exclaimed in frustration. "I think I punched the glass _a lot_ last time. What if I do that to his face this time?"

Bridget sat back down as the kettle boiled. "Then you can kiss goodbye to parole. Franky, Vera trusted me and I trust you. If you talk to him and you feel yourself getting angry then you get up and leave. I'm gonna move one of my afternoon slots and come down to the visitor centre."

"You...you're gonna be there?" Franky asked shyly, her head ducking slightly in that way Bridget knew meant she was feeling insecure.

"I'll be there, I promise. And if you want to talk about it afterwards then we can." Bridget stood back up to fill their cups of coffee. 

Franky took the cup. "You've got shit loads to do, Gidge. I'll be fine."

"I can do it tomorrow," Bridget said dismissively. 

"On your day off?" Franky raised an eyebrow. "Do you do anything other than work?"

Bridget pretended to ponder it. "Not really. No. I mean, other than Vera.

Franky couldn't help but grin. "You... _do_ Vera?"

"Yes. I'm the father of the baby - it's all out in the open now." Bridget shook her head at the thought of it.

"Funny...cause I thought Mr Stewart was the daddy to be." Franky watched Bridget's face for the slight crease of her eyebrows that she had come to learn was the blonde's give away. There it was.

"Change the subject. Right now."

_______________________

"You feeling okay?" Will asked as the two of them walked to H1.

Bea nodded. "I'm fine. The worst of it was being stuck in a room for two days with Smiles. I had to watch two fucking days worth of horse racing with her while she sat on her phone betting on every fucking race."

"Well, I couldn't exactly be there." Will drew his eyes up.

"Yeah, that one's probably on me," Bea said quietly.

Will could only roll his eyes. "Novak's gonna be pleased to see you." Bea only gave him a tight smile but didn't say anything. "Bea, I know about you and Allie."

"What?" Bea stopped walking at his confession. How the hell had he found out?

"Bea, you were delirious and screaming for her. Vera had to get her there before you had a panic attack - she was fucking terrified." Will watched the red heads gface soften slightly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Bea could only shrug. "I tried to ignore it and pretend it wasn't a thing. I couldn't ignore it anymore and it just happened. I only told Franky, and Maxine worked it out on her own." She was going to talk to Allie tonight about telling the other three so it was out in the open. Two days without the blonde made her realise how tired of sneaking around she was.

"You've gone soft," Will teased with a sheepish grin. "It suits you."

"Shut up," Bea scolded as a blush tinged her cheeks.

"And I shall leave you here." Will gestured to the opened door a few feet away. "Tell your girlfriend I said hi."

Bea only rolled her eyes. "Doesn't this count as abuse of a prisoner?" She returned his small wave with a grin and made her way into the unit. Franky's smile was the first thing she saw.

"There she is." Franky hugged her friend and grinned into her hair. "No escapes this time then?"

"No," Bea laughed slightly. "Didn't really have anyone I had to kill this time." Her other three friends gave her hugs but her eyes clocked on the blonde standing outside her cell as she pulled away from Maxine. "Allie."

Allie tried to fight the tears but it was impossible. "You're..okay." She wanted to hug her more than anything but if she did then it would probably be impossible to let her go. Bea took a few steps forward, effectively meeting her half way. Her girlfriend had her eyebrows raised. Allie didn't need to think about the look before she flung herself into Bea's arms. "I thought you were gonna die," she whispered quietly as she held on for dear life.

"I don't die in hospitals, don't worry." Bea returned the hug just as tightly, completely uncaring of who was watching. "I just _escape_ from them instead."

Allie couldn't help but choke out a laugh. "I missed you so much."

"I think I missed you more," Bea breathed out deeply.

"When did they become so fuckin' close. You'd always think they were fucking the way they're-" Boomer trailed off as she watched the two in front of her break apart before kissing each other deeply. "A couple," she finished with wide eyes.

"Well, I'm glad that's finally out in the open. It was getting a bit tired pretending we didn't know," Liz said with a smile.

Franky only grimaced as they continued to kiss, completely ignoring everything else around them. "It's been two fucking days. Tone it down a bit, ay?"

"Sorry," Bea muttered with absolutely no meaning at all. She let Allie's hand slip into her on. "So, what's been going on?"

"Uh," Boomer waved her finger between the two women holding hands. "Maybe fucking tell about _this_ that's going on?"

"You didn't know?" Maxine asked her friend.

Boomer's face was still rendered into shock. "Uh...did I know Bea decided to change teams? No, I fucking didn't. Who did?"

Franky looked at Maxine and Liz who were nodding. "Literally all of us worked it out apart from you."

"Yeah, Boomer," came a voice from the bottom of the unit. " _Everybody_ knew."

Allie turned to face Kaz. "Kaz, I was gonna tell you, I swear."

"So why the fuck didn't you?" Kaz fired back. "Because me and Bea used to hate each? You thought I'd...what? Go back to Ferguson and come after Bea. You think I care who you're with as long as they treat you right and you're happy? I don't give a fuck who you're with as long as you're happy." Allie looked sadly at her friend. "The fact you didn't trust me enough to tell me, after fucking everything we've been through...that's why I'm fucking pissed off." Kaz shook her head and slowly retreated to her cell. "I'm glad you're okay, Bea," was the last thing Allie heard before the cell door was slammed.

"Fuck." Allie leaned her head against Bea's shoulder and closed her eyes tightly.

There was a long silence before it was broken. "So, have you two-" 

Franky's hand covered Boomer's mouth, cutting the sentence off. "Read the fucking room, Booms."

________________________

"What's the update?" Joan asked the figure who had met her in the blind spot.

"The police have tracked an account between you and Mr Jesper," the voice said quietly. "With that, you could be looking at years if they prosecute."

Joan only tilted her head. "I think you're aware that I have zero intention of staying in this prison for years."

"That's why we're going for plan B."

"Inform me of plan B," Joan smiled patronisingly.

The voice only sighed. "We're breaking you out. A brawler will be here next week bringing in new inmates - it's then going to take you to an airport where I'll meet you with a new identity."

"Sounds well thought out," Joan mused. "I hope you've thought this through. I don't think you want me in Wentworth for years...knowing all the things I know."

"You are not staying in this fucking prison for another week," Derek Channing spat out. "I want you gone and out of my fucking life. Brody's got it under control. Just...trust him."

Joan could only smile. "I knew you'd come to your senses eventually, Derek. If one thing goes wrong...you're going down with me."

Derek could only stare straight through her. "A week and you're gone, Joan. Forever."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a nightmare and I hate it. My dog stood on my laptop yesterday and closed all my browsers and I hadn't saved the work so I had to force myself to rewrite half of it. Ballie is happy. Fridget is struggling. Kaz is pissed. Ferguson's plan is out there. Chapter 9 or 10 will be the big one, I haven't quite worked it out yet. Thanks to anyone that leaves a comment or kudos - it's really appreciated.
> 
> WWFan10.


	9. Death's Door

"Vera!" Will opened the door to the Governor's office, his breath was slightly laboured from bolting up the stairs. "You..you have to call the police. There's a potential code red."

Vera and Bridget were sat on opposite sides of the Governor's desk and had both stood up at his entrance. "A code red?!"

Will beaconed further into the office and pointed to the computer. "Pull up the east garage." Himself and Bridget looked on as Vera did so, a white brawler van appeared onto the screen. "Jake didn't recognise the driver and asked for his ID, he said he forgot it. He was gonna push and start questioning him but he saw a black hold all bag sitting in the passenger seat; there's a gun in the bag."

"A gun?" Bridget's eyes had widened.

"I know," Will agreed. "I saw Linda on the way up here and she stopped to tell me that she saw Brody earlier."

"He's supposed to be off all week?" Vera exclaimed in shock. Will shrugged unknowingly and she immediately picked up the phone to call the police. The call lasted around three minutes. "They're sending a team immediately. Twelve minutes ETA. Where is Jake now?" She clicked off the image of the van to go back to the main camera screen.

"Those cameras are black," Bridget pointed at the two camera screens at the bottom of the main page. "Where is that?"

Vera clicked on the blacked out cameras. "It's the admissions corridor."

"Can you see anything from the other camera?" The opposing camera focused into the laundry rather than the corridor but a figure was visible, standing against the wall. "Is that Novak? Why is she standing like that?" Will looked at the two women whose looks said they were thinking the exact same as her. "She's got her hands up like someone's pointing a gun at her."

"It's not possible to get a gun through security," Vera admitted, though the slight hesitation in her voice told them she wasn't fully convinced.

Bridget watched the blonde come in and out of view of the camera. "There's someone else there." She pointed to the hand that was now visible holding Allie's. 

Vera activated the lockdown. "Both of you stay here and wait for the police."

Bridget stepped in her friend's way as she went to walk by her. "Vera, I know you're the Governor, but you can't go down there."

"Bridget, this is my prison. I cannot stay in my office when I've potentially got someone wielding a gun at the prisoners." Vera looked pleading at the blonde. "I have to do my job."

"Jesus." Bridget breathed out heavily, her hands running through her hair. 

Will blocked both of them fro leaving the office. "We assess it and then we wait for the police, okay?" Both women nodded and they left the office. Vera sent a message to every radio, informing them to stay put and not move until further instruction was given.

Will led the group down the adjacent corridor, walking as slowly as he could. A figure came into view and he stopped. "It's Novak," he whispered quietly.

"Can you see anyone else? Someone else was with her?" Both women held back as he took another few steps forward. "What? What is it?" Vera looked at the terror on his face.

"Fuck!" Will shook his head in frustration. "There's three of them. Smith, Doyle, and Novak."

Bridget felt her blood run cold at the mention of Franky's name. "What are they doing?"

"Standing against the wall." Will did his best to look again. Franky's eyes caught his but the brunette immediately looked away. He watched her gesture with her hand before stepping back. "There's a gun."

"Jesus Christ." Vera's hand covered her mouth. "Is it Brody?"

Will shook his head. "I can't see. Franky signalled a gun with her hand. She didn't look at me for more than a second, she's obviously trying not to draw attention."

"What the hell are we supposed to do?" Bridget and Will look at Vera's radio in horror as Jake's voice filled the silence.

"Get up against the fucking wall...all of you!" Brody screamed as he rounded the corner, his gun pointed directly at Will's chest. "Hurry up!"

Franky looked on in horror as the three figures came into view. She stepped forward instantly when Sean roughly grabbed Bridget's shoulder. "Don't fucking touch her! I will fucking kill you if you hurt her!"

Sean forced the blonde against the wall before turning the gun towards Franky. "Shut the fuck up, Doyle! Get back against the wall or I shoot you, and your fucking girlfriend!" Bridget's pleading eyes caught her own but Bea had grabbed Franky and pulled her back against the wall. "Just stay against the fucking wall and nobody has to get hurt." He quickly lifted his gun again as a figure rounded the corner but lowered it when he saw who it was. "Where the fuck have you been?!"

"I wanted Smith and Doyle?" Joan came to stand beside him, dressed in her regular clothes and out of the teal.

"I couldn't get just Doyle and Smith." Sean kept his gun raised while Joan's weapon was hanging in her hand. He gestured at the red head, "Here. Now."

Bea loosened her grip on Allie's hand. "No!" 

"Do not fucking push me, Novak!" The gun was now pointed at Allie's face but Bea stepped in front of it. "That's sweet...now get the fuck over here, Smith!"

"It's okay," Bea encouraged her girlfriend to let go of her hand. "Stand next to Franky. It's gonna be okay."

"Bea," Allie cried out sadly. "Please don't shoot her."

Sean lowered his gun slightly. "Nobody needs to get shot, as long as they do what I say. Okay?"

"Put her back," Joan demanded harshly.

"What?!" Sean let the woman be pushed back against the wall.

Joan nodded at the other top dog. "Take Doyle."

"You wanted Smith and Doyle?" Sean looked on but Joan didn't budge. "You heard her." He looked at the brunette. "Now. Doyle." Franky ran her tongue across her teeth and stepped forward. "You think this is funny?" He backed up a few steps and turned the gun towards Bridget. "You think it's funny if I blow your girlfriend's head off right in front of you?!"

"Don't!" Franky begged him. The gun was pointed at Bridget's head; it was a scenario she'd have had nightmares about and now it was happening right in front of her. "Please don't point that at her. Please...I'll do whatever you want."

Sean nodded. "Yeah, you fucking will do what I want." He looked at Vera and laughed, "That's a shock, ay? Psychologist fucking the top dog. Don't think anyone saw that coming." He looked Franky dead in the eye, an evil smirk on his face, and brought the back of his hand across Bridget's cheek.

"YOU PIECE OF SHIT!!" Franky screamed. She tried to wrestle out of Bea's grasp but her friend wouldn't let her go. "I will fucking kill you!" She was seething, shaking with rage as she watched Vera help Bridget back to her feet.

"That's a fucking warning, Doyle!" Sean threatened.

"What do you want, Sean?" Vera asked calmly as she steadied Bridget.

Joan stepped forward and pointed the gun at the governor. "You."

Vera flinched as the weapon was thrust just inches from her face. "She's pregnant," Bridget pleaded. 

Joan looked at the small blonde and turned the gun to face Franky. "Say another word and I put a bullet through that pretty face." Bridget nodded and blew out a heavy breath. "Move!" She grabbed the pregnant Governor and flung her into Franky. 

"All of you," Sean began, motioning his gun to the medical holding cell. "Get in there and stay there. Open the door, Will!"

"I can't," Will admitted.

Sean roughly grabbed Vera's shirt and pulled her towards him. "What the fuck do you mean you can't?!"

"The systems in lockdown." Vera attempted to get out of his grasp. "Sean, please."

"You're hurting her-" Franky was unable to get the full sentence out as the back of the gun was brought firmly across her head.

"Franky!" Bridget screamed. She tried to step forward but Will pulled her back.

Sean stood over the now bleeding woman below him. "Don't be a fucking hero, Doyle. Get up!"

Franky's hand touched her forehead. "Fuck." Her hand was instantly covered in blood as she stumbled to her feet.

Vera reached out to grab Franky as she tried to stand. "It's okay," Franky said breathlessly. "I'm fine. Just do what he says."

"Get this airlock opened." Joan looked at Vera expectantly. "If I'm not in that brawler in five minutes then someone gets a bullet. Sort it. Right now!"

"Jake," Vera spoke into the radio.

"Vera, are you okay?" Jake replied back.

Joan grabbed the radio from the Governor's hand. "Mr. Stewart, go to Vera's office right now and unlock the airlock. Do not say another word or I put a bullet in her through her chest. You will respond only when the airlock has been released."

"Is this Joan Ferguson?"

"Who is this?" Joan replied curtly.

"This is Rachel Marsh. Special operations group. I need you to tell me who you have with you, Joan."

Sean stepped into the middle of the group. "Who called the fucking police?"

Noting Vera was about to speak, Franky grabbed the Governor's shoulders and shook her head. Will stepped forward, "I did."

" _You_ ," Joan sneered in disgust. She took two giant strides towards him. "Why must you continue to display nothing other than sheer incompetence?"

Will looked her dead in the eye. "Go fuck yourself."

There was no hesitation as the weapon was raised and the trigger was released, Will flinched at the sound and waited for the inevitable. He opened his eyes to see Joan repeatedly pulling the trigger yet the gun was failing her. Will tackled Joan to the ground causing the empty weapon to fall to the ground. Sean stood over the two, screaming at the wrestling bodies to stop. His gun was raised but he was unable to fire due to the possibility of hitting the wrong body. Once Sean's back was slightly turned towards them, Bea withdrew the shiv she had tucked into the back of her teal trousers and thrust it into the side of his neck, just like the pen had went into Jacs. The blood was pooling at his mouth in seconds, his hand going limp at his side making the loaded gun fall to the floor. Joan and Will scrambled to grab it. Allie was screaming for Bea to get out of the way, Bridget had to hold her back. Franky stood in front of Vera, trying her best to protect her from a stray bullet. Sean's body was no limp on the floor, his blood pooling everywhere. Will thrust Joan's hand into the solid floor causing her to lose her grip on the weapon. He had it in his grasp but before he could turn to point it, Joan had grabbed the shiv from Brody's neck and slashed it across his wrist. 

"Stop."

Joan looked up to see Bea holding the gun. "Allie, help Mr Jackson up." Allie did as she was asked. She slipped her teal hoodie off and pressed it to the deep gash on his wrist. "You," Bea nodded at Joan. "Get up slowly and go stand against the wall."

"You gonna shoot me?" Joan had her hands slightly raised but there was unsurprisingly no fear in her black eyes.

"I've done it before," Bea fired back. "Don't think I won't do it again."

Vera spoke from her position behind Franky, "Bea, do not shoot her."

"Up!" Bea demanded. Joan got up slowly and began to step backwards, Bea matched her step for step. The sound of the blaring alarm was all it took for Bea's eyes to leave the retreating woman for a split second before Joan swatted the gun out of Bea's hand and a screwdriver was taken out of her pocket. "Hey! Put it down!" Will shouted over the alarm. In the few seconds it took Bea to retrieve the gun from the ground, Ferguson had retreated with the screwdriver pointed directly at Franky's gut.

Joan was within two steps of Franky and Vera who were against the wall. "Put the gun down or you watch your best friend die."

"Don't do it, Red." Franky looked at her friend and shook her head. The screwdriver was pressed tightly against her middle, causing her to grimace slightly.

"Put the gun down, Bea!" Bridget practically begged. She noticed the top of the screwdriver had been sharpened to make it more knife like. "Bea, she'll kill her. Put the gun down!"

"Fuck!" Bea loosened her grip and dropped the weapon to the ground. Ferguson was half blocking Vera and Franky, and one misplaced shot would be a disaster. She'd shot Brayden at point blank range, making it impossible to miss, but one wayward bullet could hit Franky or Vera.

Joan smiled sadistically. "I win." She turned her focus from one top dog to the other. "You were high on my list, Franky, but you were never top." She dragged her eyes down to Vera's that were peaking out from behind Franky's shoulder. "That space has always been reserved for you, Vera."

Franky braced herself against the Governor as best she could, protecting her. "You're not fucking touching her."

"How noble," Joan mocked. "You have a choice, Franky. You can step aside or you can die a hero."

Franky looked over to Bridget who was all but screaming, having to be held back by Bea and Will. "It's no choice." it was possible the last time she'd see that face, the face of the woman she'd fallen in love with. She forced her eyes to look back in front of her - it was breaking her heart looking at Bridget, hearing her screams. "You can kill me but you're not getting anywhere near her." It came out of no where, the pain was instant and sharp, her hands instantly came to touch the weapon that was still inside her. It was pulled out just as quickly as it went it in. There were screams of her name, screams of terror. The hand that had just stabbed her pulled back before attempting to plunge back into her for the second time. Franky's hands reached out, instinctively blocking the weapon. She felt the tip pressing against her again, it was piercing near her hip, slightly breaking the skin. The sound of the gun going off made both women recoil, Franky stood back against Vera while Joan fell to the floor in agony, screaming, clutching her knee that had been penetrated from the gun Bea had picked up and fired. "Go!" Franky forced Vera to move out from behind her, the shiv was still pointed outwards at the body on the floor.

Will was first at Franky's side followed by Bridget. "I've got you." He tried to force her to lie down but she fought against him, insisting she was okay. "Franky, you've been stabbed."

Franky looked down at the front of her tank top, the bottom right hand side of which was now soaked in blood. "She stabbed me." The realisation and the pain hit her like a wave, Will's arms caught her as she fell into him slightly.

Bridget's hands moved to cover Franky's over the wound. "You're gonna be fine, okay? I need you to stay awake." She lifted Franky's t-shirt to see the damage, the sight only made her eyes fill even more.

There was a lot of blood.

"It's okay," Franky said quietly. She groaned slightly at the pressure now being pressed against her stomach from Will's jumper. "Is Vera okay?"

"I'm fine." Vera stopped speaking into the radio immediately. Like Bridget, she was also crying. "You need to keep talking, Franky. The medics are coming. Please, just stay awake." Any colour that was present in Franky's face had gone, leaving her chalk white. "I need them now! Doyle has been stabbed! Turn off the airlock and get them to the admissions corridor. Now!"

"Franky?" Bea's hands were shaking as she continued to point the weapon at the woman on the floor.

Franky gripped Bridget's hand tightly. "It's not...not that bad," she forced the words out, her eyes continually fluttering closed before she sprung them open again when Bridget demanded her to stay awake. "Stop crying. All of you." 

"You fucking stabbed her!" Bea thrust the gun directly into Joan's face. 

"SHE HAD A CHOICE!" Joan screamed back. Her head shook in disgust. "She chose to be a hero!"

"Don't," Franky pleaded with her friend. "I..I don't want you to have to live with this."

Bea sobbed heavily. "Franky, I have to. She fucking stabbed you. She'll get life for this and she'll never be gone!"

"Red," Franky's voice cracked slightly.

"Give me the gun." Allie tried to place her hands over the gun but Bea would not relent her grip. "You've would've killed everyone I love. You were gonna hot shot Allie, you were gonna drown me, you fucking stabbed Franky right in front of me!"

Joan let out a sigh. "I've taken one from you already. I'm-" 

The gun went off again causing several screams.

Bea looked between her frozen girlfriend and the body that now had a bullet between its eyes. She held the gaze for a few seconds before dropping to Franky's side, taking the other hand that was not being held by Bridget. "Hey, you're gonna be fine, yeah? Just, please hold on, Franky."

It was a sight none of them ever thought they would see - Joan Ferguson's dead body in the middle of the corridor, having just been shot by none other than Bea Smith.

Vera broke away from the crowd, checking an ETA on the medics. The Special Ops Group had arrived at the corridor by this point, securing any weapons.

"Franky." Bridget's voice was anything but stable, her make up had scattered over her eyelids, and she couldn't stop crying. "I need you to stay awake, okay?" She leaned down close to Franky's ear, close enough that only the two of them could hear, "Don't you dare give up on me."

"They're letting the medics in now." Vera kneeled at the top of Franky's head, her hand coming to brush some of the wayward hair away from her forehead. "A few minutes, you need to hold on for a few minutes."

The elevator doors opened, the Special Ops group were first to guide the medics to the injured victim. The medics ushered everyone out of the way but Bridget was refusing to let go of Franky's hand, Will had to force the traumatised blonde away from Franky's bleeding body. It took around ten minutes for equipment to be set up before they were ready for transport.

"We need someone to come with us," the medic advised. "I'm sorry but she's still an inmate so we need an officer of some sort. She'll be taken straight to surgery but we don't know the extent of her injuries until she sees a Surgeon."

Bridget was at the gurney before the words were even out. "I'm going with her!" There were flashes of Franky's eyes opening but she was in and out of consciousness.

Vera nodded in agreement. "Will, take the other ambulance and get that wrist stitched up. Once that's done, stay with Bridget. I have to stay with the police, tell them what happened. As soon as I'm done, I'll meet you there."

Will nodded solemely. "She's gonna be okay, though?"

The medic slightly shook his head. "I can't say right now, Mate. I'm sorry."

"I have to go with her," Bea begged. She tried her best to rush towards the gurney but Allie held her back.

"Smith, I'm sorry," Vera sighed apologetically. "You know I would if I could, but it's a massive security breach. Just let the doctors do their job and let's hope for the best."

"Miss Bennett, please?"

One of the medics interrupted, "I'm sorry but we're ready to go."

Bea rushed forward to the gurney. "If you die on me, I swear I'll kill you myself." The only response was a slight grunt from Franky and an attempt to grab Bea with her shaky hand. Jake had arrived by this point, immediately moving to restrain Bea as her state reached near hysterical. "You can't let her die!"

"Calm down, Bea," Jake coaxed gently, though his eyes were focused on a very pale looking Vera who was all but forcing Will to go with the second set of paramedics to get his hand stitched.

"Bea." Allie took her girlfriend from Jake's hold and pulled her into a firm hug. "She'll be okay. You need to try and calm down, yeah. You're shaking." Bea didn't say anything, however, just held on to Allie for dear life.

"She cant die. She cant fucking die," Bea sobbed into Allie's neck. 

Jake made his way to the elevators where Vera was forcing Will to go to the hospital. Once he finally relented, she leaned against the nearest wall, defeated. "Vera, are you okay? Are you hurt? Is the baby okay?"

Vera shook her head in disbelief at the events that had just occurred. "I'm fine. She saved me," she whispered out sadly. Judging Jake's confused reaction, she elaborated, "Ferguson wanted me all along. She blamed me for taking her job, had me pinned against a wall, and Franky," her voice wavered slightly. "Franky took a shiv for me. She saved my life."

"Jesus," Jake breathed out heavily. "Is she gonna be okay?"

"She's lost a lot of blood. I can't even go to the hospital until I've given a statement and got this place back under control." Vera wiped the tears that were now falling. "If anything happens to her, I'll never forgive myself."

They were interrupted by Bea, who hadn't calmed down at all, "Miss Bennett, can you please tell us as soon as you know anything?"

"Yes, Smith," Vera agreed, clearing her throat. "As soon as I hear, I promise I'll tell you."

Down in the ambulance, Franky was still drifting out of consciousness. "She's still breathing, that's a good sign, isn't it?" Bridget looked between the paramedic, hopeful. Every now and then Franky would mumble something incoherent.

Franky could register the voice, the one voice she could recognise anywhere. Everything was distant, mumbled almost. "Gigde."

Bridget's heart was in her chest. Franky was awake, but barely. "I'm here." She tried her hardest to keep the tears at bay but the fragile state Franky was in made in extremely difficult. "We're nearly at the hospital, okay? I need you to hold on for me. Please."

Shakily, Franky's hand reached to ghost over the slight bruise on Bridget's cheek. "He hit you." Bridget only nodded sadly, still clutching Franky's hand. "You're beautiful."

Bridget's head fell to the railing of the gurney, a fresh stream of tears now falling. "You can tell me that when you get out of here, okay?" she instructed gently.

The medic riding in the back of the ambulance was busy radioing the hospital.

Franky managed to keep her eyes facing the woman in front of her. "My bed...underneath it, there's a necklace. I want you to have it."

Defiantly, Bridget shook her head. "No! You can wear it when you get out of here. You're not gonna die, Franky."

Those bright green eyes were almost grey and shutting more by the second. "It was only counselling sessions, but I..I had the best time with you, Gidge."

"Stop!" They gazed at each other, hands firmly grasped. Bridget leaned her forehead down to touch Franky's, the first time they could have even a tiny bit of intimacy without fear of being caught. "I love you," Bridget whispered out. "I love you, so you can't die on me. Do you understand? You don't get to leave me like this."

A lazy smile covered Franky's face. She'd dreamed of the words, imagined every possible scenario outside of Wentworth where they could declare those words to each other without judgement or fear of one of them being bashed. And Franky loved her, too. For the first time in her twenty eight years, she felt what it was like to feel love. "I...I lo -" the constricting feeling in her chest cut her off and all she remembered was Bridget's panicked blue eyes staring down at her.

"She's in V-Tach!" the medic yelled loudly. 

"No!" Bridget screamed, her hand was forced away from Franky's by the medic. "FRANKY! FRANKY!"

* * *

"Miss Westfall. Im Dr. Crossan."

Bridget stood up immediately. "How is she? Is she okay?"

The Doctor gestured for them both to sit down. "Miss Westfall, I'm so sorry, but Francesca lost a lot of blood. By the time she got to the operating room, there was no chance of reviving her."

"No. That's not, NO!" Bridget could hear her her heart beating in her ears, the nausea now present in her stomach. "She was talking. She was awake." The doctor tried to place a hand on her arm but she shrugged him off. "NO! No, she's not dead."

"Bridget? Bridget? Bridget!" 

The sound woke her up with a start, her eyes wide, searching for the doctor, only it was Vera next to her. "Where's the doctor?" she asked frantically.

"You drifted off, I think you were dreaming," Vera began gently. "I just got here a few minutes ago. One of the nurses said we could see her when the anaesthesia wears off."

For the first time in hours, Bridget felt air in her lungs. "She's okay?" A heavy breath made it's way out. Franky was alive, had survived a stab wound to the stomach.

Vera nodded. "The nurse didn't say much, only that they were moving her to the ICU and that she needed a blood transfusion. They want to wait until the anaesthesia wears off before they let us in."

Bridget's hand impulsively went to her forehead, pondering the fact the woman she loved was almost fatally stabbed to death. "She could have died."

"Bridget, you've been here for hours. You should go home, I'll stay with her."

"No!" The words were out before Vera barely finished her sentence. "I can't leave her. She trusts me, I need to be here."

Vera sighed. Did she think a physical line had been crossed between the two? No, she didn't. But in the years she had known Franky Doyle, the inmate hadn't trusted and confided in anyone the way she had with Bridget Westfall. Vera tried her best to make light conversation but Bridget could barely string a sentence together. When the Doctor entered the waiting room around an hour later, Bridget was on her feet like a lightening bolt, following the surgeon into Franky's room. The doctor went on to explain the severity of the injuries, stating that luckily no major organs had been hit, though there was a hefty amount of blood loss resulting in a blood transfusion. They had her on IV antibiotics to prevent infection and that she'd need to stay in hospital for at least 5-7 days. He explained the anaesthesia would be wearing off soon and the patient would come around. That she'd had fifteen stitches to sew up the wound on her abdomen and three to her head.

Bridget rushed to one of the two empty chairs by the bedside, taking one of Franky's hands into her own, despite Vera watching on. "She didn't deserve this." She tried her best to keep her voice composed but the sight of Franky hooked up to several machines, her own blood still on her hands...it was all too much. "She's been through enough in her life and now.." the words were stuck. Vera's hand on her shoulder only made the tears flow even more. "She doesn't deserve this. H-how is this fair?"

"It's not." Vera shook her head sadly. "She could have let me die, and she didn't."

There was a knock at the door, a Detective stating he needed to go over Vera's statement and that he would be back for Bridget's. "Are you gonna be okay?" Vera asked, placing a gentle hand on Bridget's shoulder.

Bridget only nodded.

Bridget didn't know how long she sat there for, judging by the clock it was over an hour. Vera still hadn't returned. Several nurses and Doctors had been in and out of the room.

"Gidge."

Bridget stood up in a flash, a teary smile on her face. "You're awake."

"Mhmm." Franky looked around the room, a look of terror crossing her face.

"It's okay. You're okay." Bridget squeezed her hand even tighter, reassuringly. "What do you remember?"

Franky's eyes tightened slightly, like she was trying to remember the events that put her there. "She shivved me. Everything else is a blur."

Bridget nodded. "Just try and rest. You needed surgery, but you're okay. Everything's okay." The hand that wasn't holding Franky's reached out to brush her fringe away from her eyes. "Just close you eyes."

Flashed were coming back to her. "Red shot Ferguson."

Bridget's eyes closed briefly. "Ferguson had a shiv pointed at you. She wanted Vera but you wouldn't let her touch her." 

Flinching harshly, Franky's hand went to her abdomen. Her hand touched her sternum through the hospital gown, the feeling was ridged. "Is it bad?"

Again, Bridget was struggling to stay composed. "You needed fifteen stitches. There was a lot of blood loss, and you needed a blood transfusion."

Franky shook her head, hand still gently touching the hospital gown. "Did anyone else get hurt?"

"Brody and Ferguson are dead." Bridget leaned forward when Franky flinched harshly. "I"m gonna get the doctor."

Bridget attempted to let go of Franky's hand but the grip was death like. "Please don't go. Just stay for a little while."

It was impossible to deny that look of pure vulnerability. "Just five minutes and then you need something stronger for the pain, okay?"

Franky nodded, though with the pain it was more a grimace. "I thought she was gonna shoot you."

"And I thought she was gonna shoot you," Bridget repeated softly. "She's dead, Franky. It's over."

"If she hurt you," Franky trailed off, unable to even process the thought of Bridget bleeding on the floor. The thought of being in Wentworth and not seeing Bridget's face every day. It was unbearable to even think about. "He fucking hit you."

Bridget touched Franky's cheek, knuckles lightly stroking the pale skin. "Don't think about that."

Franky reached up to tightly grab Bridget's hand, like it was the last time she'd ever get to do so. "I don't wanna leave that place because it means I won't get to see you every day."

Bridget's thumbs stroked away the tears from Franky's cheeks. "Don't worry about that." She leaned down slightly and let their foreheads touch. "I know a lot of people have left you, but I'm not one of them. I promise."

Unknown to the two inside the room, Vera was stood just outside the doorway, watching the intimate moment, her face unreadable. Bridget's hands were cupping Franky's face, and they both seemed to be crying. A presence to her right caught her attention; it was Will. "How's you wrist?"

Will gave a tight smile. "Few stitches, nothing major. How are you? Thank god for Franky."

Vera smiled gratefully. "She saved my life. She could've let Ferguson stab me and she didn't, now she's paying the price." Guilt. It was consuming her. Franky had almost died because of her. 

"Did you get a scan, make sure everything's okay?" Will asked.

"Everything's fine," Vera confirmed. "You should go home and get some rest."

Will glanced inside the room, surprised to see Franky laughing lightly with Bridget. "You and Bridget should go. I'll stay with Franky."

Even though Vera hadn't suggested it, she knew Bridget wouldn't leave Franky's side. "She won't leave her."

"Franky's changed a lot since she met her." Will had noticed it, too. When Franky's counselling sessions first started, it was hard to get her to leave her unit, but now, at the mention of Bridget's name...Franky finally looked like she had hope. 

Bridget Westfall was Franky Doyle's lifeline.

"Jake's in charge and I've got Linda coming to keep surveillance." Vera glanced at her watch. Linda should be arriving imminently. "Would you mind staying a few minutes with Bridget while I talk to Franky?"

Will nodded. "Course I will."

Vera lightly knocked the door, causing both women to look up. "Could I have a word with Franky?" Bridget nodded, discretely giving Franky's hand another squeeze, though it didn't go unnoticed by Vera. Bridget shut the door, leaving the two of them alone. "How are you feeling?"

"Like a psychopath stuck a shiv in me." Franky tried to sit up a little on the bed but the pain shot straight to her abdomen.

"Don't try and move," Vera instructed lightly. "Franky," she began, the sadness evident in her voice. "What you did..."

Franky attempted to wave her hand but in her current state it was more of a flop. "Don't worry about it. Couldn't really let a pregnant woman get stabbed right in front of me."

Vera tried her best to smile but her emotions got the better of her. "Thank you, Franky. You've came a long way and I just want you to know that I've spoken to the parole board earlier - you'll be granted parole in four weeks."

"I made parole?" She wouldn't have believed it if Vera hadn't been smiling at her. She'd survived and in a months time she'd be free. "Shit."

"You don't belong in Wentworth anymore, Franky." Vera touched her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Thank you for what you did today. I'll never forget it," she said sincerely. "I'll leave you to get some rest. If you need anything at all, you just let me know. I'll check on you again tomorrow with Will."

Franky nodded firmly, trying her best to stay composed. "Thanks." Through the clear window, she noticed Will and Bridget talking. "Is Mr Jackson okay?"

"He's got a few stitches but he's fine." Vera gave one final smile before exiting the room, leaving Franky to rest. The doctor passed her on the way out, saying he was administering more pain meds and a sedative and that she'd be out for another few hours. Vera came to stand beside Bridget and Will. "She'll be out for a few hours. We should go home and get some rest. We can work out a schedule so she's not stuck with Linda all day."

Bridget shook her head. "I'm gonna stay with her."

"Bridget," Vera sighed. "It's almost midnight, you need rest."

"I'll be fine." She didn't give either of them time to argue, instead giving them both quick hugs, and then slipping back into the room.

Franky's eyes were drooping from the medication that had just been administered, but she heard the door open. She managed a dopey smile. "I thought you left."

Bridget returned the smile. Franky looked exhausted but some colour had returned to her face. "Course not. The doctor said the sedative should kick in shortly so you'll fall asleep soon."

The warm fuzzy feeling of the meds had already started. "You should go home, get some sleep."

As much as she wanted to crawl into bed, the thought go leaving Franky was near painful, especially after watching her almost die. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I keep getting these flashes of certain things, but I can't remember properly." There was Bridgets voice. Bea's voice. Screams of terror. Gun shots. But it was impossible to piece everything together.

"That's normal," Bridget encouraged and sat back down in the chair beside the bed. "You experienced a massive trauma, lost a lot of blood. You were in and out of consciousness a lot." There was the fact Bridget had declared her love, begging Franky not to leave her, but she was sure Franky didn't remember. It was wrong, everything about the situation between them was wrong, but it was impossible to control falling in love with someone. 

"I'm getting out in a month," Franky said quietly. It was still impossible to believe, but for the first time since Ferguson was incarcerated, she felt she could safely leave the place. Bea would always be her best friend, but she had Allie now. 

Bridget found it hard to contain her grin. "You deserve it - so, so much." Franky's hand reached out and Bridget took it immediately. "Vera called your dad. He's working away but he said he'd be here first thing tomorrow."

Franky nodded gratefully, her eyes beginning to close. "Gigde, you should go home. You can't stay in a chair all night."

Bridget smiled gently as Franky's hand came to rest under her chin. Linda Miles was now stationed outside but the blinds were closed, giving them complete privacy. "I don't care, I'm not leaving you."

Franky's chest all but ached. It was the first time she'd ever let herself go there, but she was completely in love with Bridget Westfall. Bridget found herself leaning into the touch of Franky's fingertips, they were tracing lightly over her lips. And although Franky was much paler than usual, those green eyes were vibrant as they were locked on her own. Bridget wanted it it, wanted to give in and just kiss Franky. "I cant. Not here, not yet," she whispered and the turmoil was present in her voice.

There was a slight smile on Franky's lips. "I know."

"Get some rest." Bridget gave the hands enclasped in her own once last squeeze before she laid them down by Franky's side, still entwined. Around five minutes later, Franky's breathing seemed to have evened out, signalling she had fallen asleep. Bridget allowed on of her hands to brush some Franky's stray hair away from her eyes. The situation could have gone completely different, she could have been sat in a waiting room having been told Franky hadn't survived.

Franky's voice startled her. "You were the reason I stayed alive," the words her slightly slurred from the medication. "Every time I felt myself drifting, all I could think about was you. I cant leave Wentworth and never see you again."

Bridget breathed out heavily, the confession causing her eyes to brim with tears. "All I think day and night is you, Franky."

* * *

"Miss Bennett!" Bea was out of her chair like a flash. "How's Franky? Is there any news?" All of H1 had stayed up, waiting for news on Franky. Everyone had taken the news badly, but Boomer and Bea were inconsolable. Liz had tried to encourage that eight hours with no news, was probably good news. They knew Franky would have needed surgery but so far they had heard nothing.

Vera closed the gate behind her. She could have went straight home, having it being nearly 1am, but she wanted to be the one to tell Franky's girls that she was okay. "Franky's going to be fine." A collection of sighs were aired around the room, most of them even hugging Vera in thanks for coming all the way to let them know. "The shiv didn't hit any major organs but she did require a blood transfusion. They've got her on heavy pain meds and intravenous antibiotics as a prevention for infection. She should be able to return in a few days _but_ I need a guarantee that she's not left alone under any circumstance. If I find her without any of you then she'll be put straight in the medical wing."

Boomer was crying heavily. "She's not alone though, is she? Cause Franky hates hospitals and she shouldn't be alone, not after what she went through."

"She's not alone. Don't worry, Jenkins." Vera was tight lipped, not wanting fuel to the fire of the rumours that would already be circling about the Top Dog and the Prison Psychologist. She needed to have a talk with Bridget but after the current events, it could wait a few days until things had settled and they were both in a clearer mindset. "Bea. Allie. I want you to see Miss Westfall tomorrow. You were both involved in that siege, too, and I want you both to speak to her." Bea and Allie both nodded. "I know you're all close with Franky, so of any of you need counselling then you let me know." They all nodded, thanking the Governor once again before she left the unit, insisting that they all get some sleep.

The group stayed up for another half hour or so before finally retreating to bed. Allie was hesitant to sleep in Bea's cell, her girlfriend had barely said two words since she returned from giving her police statement; all she had said was it was her fault for not getting to the gun quick enough, effectively blaming herself for Franky almost dying.

Allie was hovering awkwardly in the doorway when Bea noticed she hadn't properly entered _their_ cell. Franky had made a joke that Allie had firmly moved in with Bea and there was no point in the blonde even having her own cell anymore. "Are you planning on sleeping in the doorway tonight?"

"I didn't know if you wanted to be alone. You haven't said much all night." Allie walked slowly into the cell but did not sit on the bed next to Bea, instead choosing to lean against the wall.

"If I didn't drop that gun..." Bea thought back to the infamous fight between herself and Franky.

"Bea!" Allie was quick to drop to the floor, taking her girl's hands into her own. "There was nothing you could have done. If you didn't pick that gun up and do what you did then Franky would be dead."

Bea forced a nod, though she was unable to take her mind away from Franky lying helpless on the floor. Allie had taken her to the showers shortly after, scrubbing her entire body clean of any of Franky's blood that was on her. "This place, it's just...you can lose anyone you love in an instant."

Allie nodded in agreement. "I know. I can't even imagine what I would have done if that was you." Bea looked at her properly for the first time all night, a gentle hand coming to stroke her cheek. "I love you," she admitted softly. 

For a few seconds, Bea's face was unreadable, until a shy smile finally broke out. "I know." Allie made a move to stand up, but was held firmly in place, Bea's hands on her cheeks. "I love you, too."

Allie ducked her head slightly, an elated grin taking over her face. "Fuck, if Franky could see us now."

Bea laughed in agreement. "Nah, she already knew."

Pulling Bea to her feet, Allie's hands went around Bea's neck. "What, so she knew before I did?"

"Course she did. Franky's the Queen Lezzo around here, who else was I gonna talk to?" Well, Franky had been the Queen Lezzo as several inmates had called her over the years, but that had changed since she'd met Bridget.

Allie pulled her in for a slow, sweet kiss. "Queen Lezzo and Queen Bea - what a pair!"

Bea let out a husky laugh. "Y'know if anything happened, we would never..."

"Got the pleasure of going down on each other?" Allie finished with a cheeky smile.

Bea only rolled her eyes, but there was a darkening of her eyes, something Allie noticed almost immediately. The bottom of Bea's pyjama top was played with for a few seconds before it was stripped over her head, leaving her in just a black bra and pyjama bottoms. Bea repeated the motion removing Allie's top, her hands reached out to caress the soft skin around the blue bra Allie was wearing. Both women rid themselves of the rest of their clothes before falling onto the bed, Allie positioned them so they were facing each other legs straddling as they kissed languidly. Bea's breath caught in her throat as Allie's soft hands cupped her breasts, her head rolled back slightly, giving Allie perfect access to her neck. 

From the nights they'd spent fooling around, Bea had gotten to know Allie's body. What she liked, what made her gasp, what made her tell Bea she was so turned on that she could hardly think straight. Bea lay down on the mattress, pulling Allie on top of her, her knee slid in between Allie's legs and she could feel the wet heat coat her thigh. Allie was gasping, her hands shaking as they fell to trace lightly over the bottom of Bea's stomach. There were no words needed, only a look which was confirmation enough. The first contact of Allie's fingers with Bea's slick heat made her gasp loudly, her head burying into the crook of Allie's neck like it was her very own safety net. Allie started off slowly, circling her clit before she moved to Bea's entrance. Bea's eyes fluttered closed as Allie entered her for the first time. It was something she dreaded - despised even - with Harry, but with Allie she felt safe, loved. She could feel the pull in her stomach and she was becoming even more wet as Allie continued to thrust in and out. Allie kissed her forehead before her girlfriend slid down her body, now level with her sex. Bea looked up, panting heavily. Allie had that cheeky smile on her face and that was enough for Bea to lay her head back down as Allie's tongue began to suck and stroke her clit. 

"Allie!" Bea cried out loudly. The sight of Allie Novak going down on her was enough to send her over the edge, and she came for the first time in her life, her entire body shuddering as she struggled to regain her breathing. Allie kissed her way back up her body, stopping shy of her lips, but Bea pulled her in for a deep kiss. The taste of herself on Allie's lips was enough to turn her on all over again.

Allie nuzzled her lover's neck. "You okay?"

Bea let out a hearty laugh. "Definitely okay." She wanted to make Allie feel just as good but there was still a hint of insecurity at being so inexperienced. Allie hadn't cared, her girlfriend had openly admitted just about everything Bea did seemed to turn her on. "Sit up," she encouraged firmly. Allie raised an eyebrow but did as she was told, her centre was now pressed against Bea's abdomen as she sat atop her girlfriend's slick body.

"Please," Allie all but begged. Her own hand was inching towards touching herself but Bea's hand grasped it firmly, her own taking its place. The first touch of Bea's fingers caused a heavy scream to fall from Allie's lips. Bea repeated the motion just as Allie had, lightly stroking up and down before slipping two fingers inside. Allie was struggling to remain upright on top of Bea, so she was expertly flipped on to her side, face no face now, one of Allie's legs draped over Bea's hips as Bea continued to thrust in and out. Bea had heard a lot of swear words from her time inside but none compared to the profanities that were now leaving Allie's mouth. Knowing Allie was close, Bea pulled her in for a searing kiss as her climax finally hit. Allie held her hand in place, still inside of her as the aftershocks rocked over her, not ready for the pleasure to end.

Allie sighed in utter contentment, groaning slightly as Bea finally withdrew from her. "Are you sure you weren't gay on the outside?"

Bea only stared, that intense stare that melted Allie every single time. She didn't think twice before bringing her hand to her mouth, tasting her girlfriend for the first time. "Fuck me," Allie growled, climbing back on top of her naked girlfriend. "Again?"

Bea's hands traced lightly over Allie's toned back. "I'm a lifer, we've got plenty time."

Allie smiled sadly. "I don't ever want to be without you." She'd only gotten ten years but Bea was a lifer. But she was also positive Bea Smith was the absolute love of her life. "I love you. So fucking much, Bea."

Bea pulled Allie down to lay against her chest. "I love you. And I promise I will never let anything happen to you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the story is nearing its end. There may be some slight more drama before Franky gets out as I really wish we got to see more of Bridget together in prison before they were actually a couple. For anyone wondering, Franky doesn't remember Bridget saying she loved her. Once the story is done, I may do some one-shots of Bridget and their life together outside. As much as I love Ballie, it's difficult to write a full chapter on them once the story is done, whereas there is countless scenarios for Fridget. Hope everyone is taking care of themselves during this hard time.
> 
> WWFan10.


	10. Closer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning - Brief mentions of Sexual Assault incase anyone struggles to read theses types of things.

The hustle and bustle outside the hospital room awoke Franky with a start, and she tensed at the loudness coming from the corridor, immediately wincing as a shooting pain went straight to her abdomen. She checked the clock, noting it was almost 4am, and that there was still a sleeping blonde head on the edge of her bed. They'd moved her from the ICU and to a private room around 2am and she'd been sleeping for almost two hours since then. The only time there was no pain was when she was asleep. She glanced to the call button that she could reach if she moved just a little, but doing so would awake Bridget as her arm was flung over Franky's thigh. Thank god for Linda Miles and her severe disinterest; the officer had entered the room once to see how she was but otherwise had found herself a male nurse to take up chat with, for which Franky was extremely grateful. Her gaze drifted towards the slumbering woman who looked so peaceful. Bridget had taken off her wayward make up caused by the stream of tears that had fell over the past twelve hours, and now her face was void of make up, her hair flung up into a messy ponytail.

Franky couldn't take her eyes off her. 

Every single thing about Bridget Westfall just about made her stop breathing.

How had a woman so unbelievably perfect fallen for her...a prisoner.

A months time. Franky would be a free woman in a months time, but what did that mean for them? How would the subject of _them_ even be broached? Talking about feelings had never been easy for her, but now she had a woman who she wanted to be with, not just a one night stand - but Franky wanted her and Bridget to be a _them_. The fear was there, though. What if the excitement wore off and Bridget got bored? Whereas it was the opposite for Franky, all she had wanted her entire adulthood had been hook ups or friends with benefits, and now she wanted a girl, for the first time in her life. 

A light knock on the door awoke Bridget, her body springing up from the bed, eyes blinking heavily to adjust to the light the nurse had just turned on. Franky was awake but looked exhausted, her jaw was slightly tense as well, something Bridget had come to realise meant she was either angry or in pain. 

"Sorry," the nurse apologised for the disturbance. "I just need to check your stitches, just a few minutes and then you can go back to sleep." The nurse looked between Franky and Bridget a few times, unsure of how to proceed.

Franky was too tired to even care. "She can stay, it's okay." The nurse adjusted the cover on the bed so it sat in line with Franky's pelvis and then rolled up the hospital gown to the top of her ribs. The stitches had a large wound cover over them which was peeled off. Bridget grimaced a little at the sound of it being tore off, Franky only smiled lightly at her, though, not flinching. Once the stitches were aired, Bridget had to look away, her hand came to her chin as she stared at the wall. She had taken the entire situation worse than Franky had, every time she closed her eyes all she could see was Franky lying in a pool of her own blood. Franky let the nurse do what she had to do and thanked her, the nurse promising she'd be back in a few minutes with more pain medication, but without the sedative, at Franky's request.

"Gidge, it's not that bad." Unlike the rest of her scars, she wasn't particularly disgusted at the thought of this one being seen. "I'm okay, honestly."

"You nearly died, do you realise that?" Bridget's voice was wavering on pure rage and utter emotion. She was so unbelievably angry at what had happened but couldn't stop feeling like she was going to cry at any given second. She was a mess.

The nurse came back with the pain meds, administering them through the cannula in Franky's arm. Once she was gone and the door was closed, Franky looked back to Bridget, "I didn't die, though. I'm fine. Yeah, it's gonna take me some time to get back to normal and whatever, but I'm okay. I promise."

"I just, I need you to get out of there." Bridget allowed Franky to take her hand, she was beyond the point of caring who saw them at this point. "I know Ferguson's gone but every night I go home," she trailed off with a frustrated sigh, "all I think about is if something's happened to you." Her eyes had filled with tears again, it was uncontrollable at this point after everything that had happened. "I can't sleep. I can barely eat. I look in the mirror...I can barely see myself, Franky."

Franky felt a pang of guilt, instantaneously dropping her hand away from Bridget's on the bed. "Another month and I'm gone, you won't need to worry about anything anymore."

Bridget was confused by Franky's distant reaction. "What's wrong?"

Shrugging, Franky stared into space, thinking. "It's not really easy for me to hear you say all that shit, especially since it's practically my fault."

"Franky." Bridget moved her head a little, encouraging Franky to look at her - it took a few seconds and a slight nudge but those tired green eyes finally looked at her. "You've done nothing wrong. They warn you about these kinds of things happening and no one ever thinks it's ever going to happen to them, but it does, and no matter how hard you try to fight it, you can't. I never thought this would happen to me, and it did."

Franky sighed heavily, internally cursing the morphine for making her drowsy when they were trying to have this conversation. "Ferguson's gone. You don't have to worry anymore."

"It's never just been about just Ferguson, Franky," Bridget exasperated. "It's everything. It's the thought of you leaving work duty and someone jumping you because they feel like it." That image was back in her head, Franky lying there, soaked in her own blood. "You nearly died in my arms. That's not something I'd ever get over."

Franky didn't think she'd seen a person cry more than she'd saw Bridget cry since she'd been stabbed. The normally calm, collected psychologist was an emotional, traumatised mess, completely unable to hold herself together. Even lifting her arm was an effort on its own but she somehow managed it and her hand reached out to wipe the stray tears from Bridget's cheeks. Her skin was incredibly soft, Franky imagined she used an incredibly expensive moisturiser and had an intense skin care routine; it was little things like that that she'd begun to think about. Franky shuffled down the bed a little, gritting her teeth at the immense pain it caused. She was almost level with Bridget's head and she patted her own chest, a small suggestive smile on her face.

Bridget was hesitant, her eyes drifting to the door which was firmly closed, the blinds also shut. The lights were dimmed but the various machines gave the room a slight hint of light. It was the smile that did it, it was _always_ the smile. The slight dimples that were present on Franky's cheeks were enough to make Bridget give in and lay her head down on Franky's chest, her head fitting perfectly under the brunettes chin. Bridget told herself it was just for a minute, but Franky's hands were soon stroking gently through her hair. Top Dog Franky wasn't the real Franky Doyle as many people thought, and Bridget had realised that pretty quickly. _This_ was the real Franky Doyle. The kind, caring, affectionate Franky who would press her lips against Bridget's forehead every few minutes.

Will was stood frozen in the doorway, his eyes wide at the sight. He knew Franky had taken to Bridget extremely well and when Sean Brody had declared during the siege yesterday that the two were _fucking_ , Will hadn't believed it. But now, looking at Bridget asleep half on top of Franky, he was convinced something was going on. Bridget Westfall did not seem the type to engage in a sexual relationship with a prisoner but it was clear as day that there were feelings involved. He sighed to himself, Vera was just across the hall talking to Linda and would be walking into the room any minute. "Fuck," he muttered under his breath, closing the door behind him. He shook Bridget's shoulder gently. "Bridget!" She stirred slightly but made no attempt to move. "Bridget!!" This time, she woke up fully, lifting her head and craning her neck. Her mouth went slightly agape when she realised Will had caught her asleep with a prisoner. "Vera's about to come in." 

Bridget nodded thankfully and moved her chair further away from the bed, trying her best to kill the suspicion. Truth be told, she was almost positive she was going to tell Vera anyway, it had gone too far now. "Thank you."

Will only nodded. "How's she doing? Reegan's fine by the way." Will had been watching the dog on/off on his days off to help Bridget out. It started as a one off but Will had taken to the dog really well and loved spending his days off with the Retriever, for which Bridget was grateful.

"Thank you for watching him, Will." Bridget looked at Franky who was still asleep. She'd had round the clock pain meds and was out for the count. "She's okay. The morphine puts her to sleep for about three hours and then she wakes up for about half an hour or so. They're gonna keep her on antibiotics as a precaution but her bloods were clear of any infection."

"Thank god," Will breathed out heavily. "You really need to go home and get some rest. Her dad called Vera a little while ago, his flight gets in at 10am so he's gonna come straight here."

Bridget glanced at her watch; 8:30am. "How are you?"

Will shrugged. "I'm okay. I just keep seeing all the blood, I really thought she wasn't gonna make it. I think she's got nine lives."

"What about Allie and Bea?" Bridget really had to get home and get showered, get herself to work to talk to the two women. She knew Bea especially wouldn't be handling things too great considering how close she was with Franky.

"I stopped by this morning," Will admitted. "Bea's not doing too well. She's begging me to talk to Franky."

"How long are you staying for?" Bridget had an idea.

Considering he wasn't rota'd to work, he didn't really have a time scale. "I came to let you get some rest."

Bridget got up to leave. It pained her to not wake Franky to say goodbye but she knew if she did then the pain cycle would start again. "I'm gonna go home and shower, and then go to work. Call me when Franky's awake." She raised her eyebrows, hoping he was understanding.

Will smiled and gave her a quick hug. "I'm glad you're okay."

"You, too," Bridget replied kindly and let the room quietly.

"Tell me you haven't been here all night." Vera was eyeing her friend disapprovingly.

Bridget only shrugged. "I couldn't leave her." The look Vera gave her was enough for Bridget to know she was possibly going to be out of a job soon. "I'm leaving now and then going to see Bea and Allie. Will said Bea isn't doing too great."

Vera shook her head. "No, she isn't. I'm gonna sit with Franky for a bit, but can you meet me in my office around 12pm?"

"Course." Bridget nodded.

They said their goodbyes and both wandered down opposite ends of the hospital corridor.

* * *

Hearing a faint _come in_ yell out from inside the Governor's office, Bridget made her way inside. What she saw was not what she had been expecting. The table in Vera's office was laid out with a lunch spread and a tray of tea with two cups. Vera was also wearing her normal clothes and not her Governor's uniform. From speaking with Jake earlier, Bridget realised Vera wasn't technically working and was only there for a board meeting and to briefly check on the women. 

Vera noted the look of confusion on her friend's face. "Don't look so shocked, we have lunch together almost every day." She gestured for Bridget to sit and quickly slipped her head out of the office door, telling her secretary she did not want to be interrupted and that Jake was in charge for the day. "How are you feeling? Did you get some sleep?"

Bridget was cautious. Was Vera being genuine or was she trying to trick her into revealing something? "I'm fine. Got a few hours sleep at the hospital. I think Will's still there."

"He is," Vera confirmed. "I spoke with the police, just before you got here." She could still hardly believe what she was about to say. "It turns out Derek Channing was involved in Ferguson's entire escape plan."

"What?!" Bridget had met the man in passing several times and he'd always been polite enough, but his gaze always lingered for a little too long. She hadn't got a good vibe from him "He was in on the whole thing? How do they know?"

"Brody's phone went off some time after Franky's accident. The caller's name was Derek; long story short, they traced the call and found him at an airport waiting for Ferguson and Brody. He had a fake passport made for Ferguson in the name of Kath Maxwell and almost a hundred thousand dollars." Vera shook her head, still in disbelief. "He's claiming she was blackmailing him and he had to do it, but on further investigation they discovered he was the co-owner of several brothels and has been recruiting young parolees to work as sex workers for years."

Bridget was just about speechless. "Shit. Do you think he's the one who smuggled the guns in? He was the Regional Director, he could've easily came in on a day where Brody was on reception and avoided the metal detectors."

And just like that, everything clicked. "That's why we couldn't track anything to Brody...because it wasn't him. I just cant understand why only one of the guns was loaded."

That answer was pretty obvious to Bridget. "Ferguson was a rattlesnake, you never trust a rattlesnake."

Vera sighed knowingly. "He thought she might turn on him so he only put bullets in his own gun. Jesus Christ." In the light, she noticed the bruise on Bridget's face looked worse than it did this morning. "Did you get that bruise checked out? He hit you pretty hard."

Bridget only smiled dismissively, she hadn't really noticed it until she looked in the mirror at home. Her mind was too pre-occupied with Franky to think about anything else. She'd text Will every half hour asking for an update, and bless him, he'd been a sweetheart every time. "It's just a bruise. Don't worry about me."

Vera's face turned serious. "I am worried about you." Bridget avoided her gaze, which only made Vera's suspicions grow even more. "Bridget, I need you to not see me as the Governor right now. I need you to talk to me as your friend. I know we've only known each other a few months but you - and Will - are my closest friends. I care about you a lot and I know that feeling is reciprocated. I told you everything about Jake and I, I told you about my Hep C, I told you I practically pushed Gambaro down the bloody stairs - I trust you." Bridget finally looked at her, and Vera could see how utterly exhausted she looked. "I need you to tell me the truth about what's going on with you and Franky. I don't give a shit about the rumours, I want you to hear it from you and I want you to be honest."

Where did she even start? "Nothing sexual has happened. But I've...fuck, I've crossed the line, Vera," Bridget stammered out.

"You've fallen for her." Both of them knew it wasn't a question, just a simple statement. Bridget nodded sadly causing Vera to sigh heavily. "Bridget, I like Franky, I really do. And trust me, that's not a sentence I ever thought I'd say. And I know you're not going to do anything physical with her because you'd have done it by now, but when she gets out of here, you cannot get involved with her. She will break your heart, Bridget." Her friend still looked unconvinced, however. "You're not the first member of staff Franky has done this with."

Bridget's gut just about dropped. "What do you mean?" Franky had opened up to her, told her so many things over the past few months, but not once was there ever a mention of a relationship with a Prison staff member. Nurse Radcliffe, Bridget thought, it had to be. "Who?"

"Erica Davidson," Vera answered. The look on Bridget's face could only be described as heartbreak but she needed her friend to know what she was possibly going to get herself into. "She was the Governor before Ferguson, and before that she was Franky's tutor; I think it was for about a year, so they spent a lot of time together. Erica was the one who convinced Franky to take up an Education programme, everyone else had tried because we all knew how bright she was but Erica was the only one who convinced her to do it. I never had proof but I'm still convinced to this day that something was going on between them. Do you know how many women have fell for Franky? Trust me, I get it; she's sickeningly charming, she's attractive, she's confident. She's changed a lot since I first met her and I'm so proud of her, I shouldn't have favourites but I do, of course I do. But, Bridget...Franky Doyle doesn't do domesticated. If you get involved with her, I guarantee you that you will end up with a broken heart. I'm not going to ask you to stay away from her because she's just been through a massive trauma, I'd never deny her the right to see a psychologist if she needs to, which I think she will. As your friend, I'm just telling you to be careful, and to not see her when she leaves here."

Bridget nodded once, though she felt completely empty. Had she just been an object of Franky's boredom for the past five months? Had she been used just to get a well written report for parole? Vaguely, Bridget could register Vera talking about Bea and how she wasn't coping with what had happened to Franky. She couldn't go anywhere without someone mentioning Franky, it was constant. Bridget did her best to engage but her head and heart weren't in it. Part of her believed Vera as she'd heard the stories about Wentworth's Casanova as Will had referred to Franky on the first day he'd shown her around, he'd went on to explain Franky to be like a magnet that you couldn't help being drawn to. But she'd experienced the other side to Franky. The side that dropped the smart ass attitude when she realised Bridget saw straight through it, the side that had managed to finally open up, that earth shattering smile Franky would give her when they locked eyes from a distance when no one was looking. 

Vera offered her the food that was laid out and despite not being hungry, Bridget forced herself to eat. She couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten and she'd had a constant headache for almost an entire day now. About twenty minutes later, her phone buzzed inside her pocket. She noted the time, knowing it would be Will saying Franky had woken up. "Thanks for lunch, Vera. I really appreciate it. I have to go and have a chat with Bea now, though. I met with Allie earlier and she's doing okay but I really need to go and see Bea."

"Of course." Vera stood up, clearing some of the stuff away from her table. "Will you let me know how she is? I know it's confidential, but just so I know of she's okay."

Bridget nodded and left the office. Her mind was a blur as she walked the corridors to H1 where she knew Bea would be. Allie said Bea would barely leave the unit, that she was struggling massively. Erica Davidson, the name wouldn't leave Bridget's mind. Walking by the empty mail room, she couldn't stop herself from bringing her phone up and googling the woman. Jesus, she was gorgeous. Long blonde hair, captivating blue eyes, and impeccably dressed. "Fuck sake." What was she turning into? She tried her best to shake it off and walked towards H1.

Inside H1, Bea was sat on the couch, her leg bouncing constantly, unable to stop. She hadn't realised she was doing it until Maxine put a gentle hand on her leg. Boomer and Liz came out of Boomer's cell, and the younger woman was again crying heavily. Bea sat up, "Booms, you okay?"

"Nuh, I'm not! I wanna speak to Franky." Boomer heaved herself into one of the chairs at their unit table. "Not that you give a shit about her."

"What? What the fuck do you mean I don't give a shit about her?" Bea stood up, storming over to the table where Boomer was sat.

Much to everyone's surprise, Boomer stood up, towering over Bea. "Franky almost died and all you care is rootin' ya girlfriend all night. She'd have died for you and you don't even care!"

Bea took a step back, a look of sadness on her face. "Boomer, it wasn't like that." It wasn't true, the only thing she'd thought about all day was Franky. "I love Franky, you know that."

"Then why the fuck weren't you sad?" Boomer yelled loudly. Maxine had came to her side, gently placing her hands atop her friends shoulders. "All of us were up all night crying and what were you two doing, ay?" She looked between Allie and Bea.

"Boomer, we were both upset," Allie chimed in softly.

"BULLSHIT!" Boomer screamed, and Maxine had to hold her back. "You probably wanted her to die, have Top Dog all to your fuckin' self!"

"Boomer," a voice from the side addressed her softly.

They all turned to see Miss Westfall. She beckoned for Boomer to come over to her which the taller woman reluctantly did. "I know you're worried about, Franky," Bridget began softly. "But she's okay, I promise you. I know you're upset but you know how much Bea cares about Franky, don't you?"

Boomer nodded sadly. "I just wanna see her," she sobbed out heavily.

Bridget did her best to hug the inmate despite their height difference. God, the woman was such a softy at heart. "I know you're upset and missing her, everyone is. But it's not fair to take it out on Bea. She was the one that saved Franky."

Boomer looked back at Bea, who looked on the verge of tears. "Sorry for what I said, yeah? I know you love and she's your best mate as well."

Bea only nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Bridget brought Boomer round the table and pulled a chair out for her to sit. "I'm trusting all of you here to keep this between us, okay?"

"Keep what between us?" Allie asked.

Bridget didn't reply, instead withdrawing her phone. They watched as she spoke on it for around a minute before putting it on loudspeaker and placing it in the middle of the table. They all noticed the caller ID said Will Jackson.

"Love, why are we having a phone call with Mr Jackson?" Liz questioned.

_"You're not."_

All the women practically bounced out of their chairs at the sound of Franky's voice. Boomer and Liz were both crying again. Bea was smiling for the first time all day.

"Franky." Bea grinned into the phone, a few stray tears shedding from her eyes. "How are you? Is everything okay?"

_"Everything's great, Red. I've got Mr J wining and dining me as we speak."_

"You're like defs alright but, aren't ya?" Boomer spoke up next. "Like they're not keepin' nothin' from us, are they?"

_"Booms,_ _chillax, I'm fine. They said I can leave in a few days but one of you lot need to be my babysitter or they'll put me in medical."_

Almost every voice volunteered causing Franky to laugh.

"Hey, have they got you on the good pain meds?" Allie laughed.

_"They fuck me up, been giving me them every few hours but I fall asleep as soon as I get them. I'm trying to cut them down_ _."_

Bridget could hear voices coming from down the hallway. "You're gonna have to say goodbye. I'm sorry but if we get caught..."

_"Red, just promise me you'll relax, yeah? Everything's fine."_

Bea nodded firmly, relieved. "I will. Just hurry back, yeah?"

_"Don't miss me too much."_

The line went dead and everyone got up to thank Bridget. "You're like way decent, ay?" Boomer grinned at the short blonde. "Now I get why Franky likes you so much."

Bridget felt a slight blush tinge her cheeks. "Bea," she nodded at the red head. "Let's go for a chat."

Bea trotted slowly towards the exit, but Bridget quickly stopped her. "Could you do me a favour?" Bea nodded. "Franky's got this necklace, said she keeps it under her bed."

"Yeah, it's the kite one," Bea confirmed.

"Would you be able to get it for her?" Bridget asked. She watched Bea enter Franky's cell before returning a few seconds later. A silver necklace in the shape of a kite with a red ribbon was discreetly slipped into her hand. Bridget didn't know Bea entirely well but the red heads demeanour was completely defeated. She looked completely lost. They entered her office and Bridget prepared herself for another hour of talking about Franky.

Allie waited until Bea had left the unit before she did the same, using the excuse of needing some fresh air. She stood by the phones discreetly before she finally found who she was looking for. "Mr Stewart?"

"Novak." He nodded, looking around to make sure no one was looking. "Has she gone to the kitchen?"

"About two minutes ago," Allie confirmed. He thanked her and told her to go back to her unit, out of the way as to not arise suspicion. 

Bea was going to fucking kill her if she found out.

* * *

Bridget hovered outside the hospital room door, the blinds and door were closed but every now and then she could hear Franky and Will laughing. It was just past 4pm, which meant Will had been there most of the day. There was an official officer on duty officer she recognised as Mr Bakula, he'd swapped with Linda Miles and was sat on one of the couches at the end of the waiting room with his phone in his hands, and his earphones in. She was hesitant to come and see Franky after everything Vera had said, but it was either come and see Franky or sit at home and pine over Franky. She chapped the door lightly and Will answered it almost immediately. He greeted her with a hug, asking how she was and she asked him, too. They'd gotten quite close the past month or so since Bridget discovered he only stayed ten minutes away from her. Herself, Vera and Will had gone for dinner just a few weeks ago and she enjoyed his company, it was easy to see why so many of the women liked and respected him. Plus, the fact he now offered to help with Reegan when needed.

Franky shot her one of those dazzling smiles but she pushed down the butterflies and stayed professional. "How are you feeling?"

"Hmm, bit sad to wake up alone," Franky teased, but her smile halted as Bridget's face remained blank.

"I was here when you woke up," Will threw in with a hint of mock offence.

Franky grinned again. "Yeah but she's prettier than you." Still nothing. Bridget stayed leaning against the back wall, arms across her chest, defensive almost.

"For that," he threw on his coat. "I'm leaving. I'm going back to work tomorrow but I'll come visit after my shift, okay?"

Franky nodded gratefully. "Thanks for staying." He was a gem of a man and it killed her that she'd caused him so much pain. She watched him go before turning to Bridget. "Y'know, you didn't have to come. You were here all day and night, go home and get some rest."

"I'm not staying." Bridget walked over to the bed, withdrawing what Franky realised was her kite necklace. "I got Bea to get it for you." She slipped it into Franky's hand and then withdrew it, like she'd be scolded if she held their hands together too long.

Obviously Franky noticed it. "What's goin' on?"

It was tiring, all of it. Months of the emotional turmoil of falling in love with a prisoner, worrying about potentially losing her job, the pain of having to leave Franky and not see her for two days every weekend. And now the fact that the woman in front of her could have been playing her the entire time. Bridget was tired of it all, and she wanted the truth. "Have you been lying to me?"

Franky looked bewildered. "Lying? Lying about what? Whose said something to you?"

"It doesn't matter who," Bridget said dismissively. "I found out today that I'm not the first member of staff you've played this game with."

What game was that? "Gidge, I have no idea what you're talking about."

Bridget's eyes drew together tightly. "What happened with Erica Davidson?"

Now that was a name Franky hadn't heard in a long time. And there was always one officer who was highly suspicious of them. "So what did Vera say?"

If Bridget's head wasn't such a mess, she'd be impressed that Franky had worked it out so quickly that it was Vera. "Have you been playing me so I would give you a good report for your parole?"

Franky's jaw was so tight Bridget thought it was going to break. "Are you really asking me that? What do you think the answer to that is?"

"I'm asking you -"

"No!" Franky cut in harshly. "I want you to tell me that if any point in the five months we've known each other, you've ever thought I've been playing you?"

"Not until today," Bridget answered honestly. 

"Because Vera planted the seed." Again, it wasn't a question, it was Franky stating a point. "Erica was my tutor for about a year, we got on really well. I flirted with her a lot, and she liked it, which made me like it. Did I have feelings for her? Yeah I probably did at the time. She was the only person who gave a shit at the time, paid me attention." Fuck, she hadn't thought about Erica in so long. It was hard to even remember what she felt for the woman back then. "As soon as she became Governor, she changed. I was an arsehole but she'd blame me for whatever the fuck she wanted and when I tried to defend myself she'd just shoot me down and treat me like shit. I kissed her once, that was it. I struggled when she left, I just...I felt like the only person who'd gave a shit had left, just like they always do. After she left, I found out she did something to me, something I never ever thought she'd do. Jacs convinced one of the old H1 girls to say I'd given her drugs; I hadn't, but Erica knew who had and she let me take the fall for it. She left me in the slot for five weeks, Gidge. Five weeks I was stuck in there and she only came to see me the day before I was released. And for so fucking long I thought about what I'd say to her if I saw her, how angry I'd be at her for what she did to me. And now, when I get out of that place, if I saw her, do you know what I'd do? I'd say hi, I'd ask her how she's been, I'd tell her that I hope whatever she's doing is going well...because I'm not angry about it anymore, Gidge. She's just a person, a person I haven't thought about in a very long time."

That was the difference between herself and Vera, Bridget thought...she got to see this side of Franky whereas Vera didn't. "Vera knows."

"Vera knows what?" Franky asked in confusion.

"She knows about us, that there's something going on. She asked me about it today." Bridget finally took up the chair next to Franky's bed.

Panic covered Franky's face. "Just say it's all me, say I propositioned you or whatever. Just say whatever you have to say so you don't lose your job."

"I'm not gonna lose my job. She just told me I had to be careful." Bridget watched Franky's face turn...sad almost.

A dull laugh fell from Franky's lips. "That's the way it's always gonna be, isn't it. People warning you off me, thinking I'd hit you, fuck you over, cheat on you."

"You'd never lay a hand on me," Bridget said firmly. "I can make my own mind up, Franky. Vera's my friend and I respect her, but it's my life."

"You'll lose your job." Franky shifted slightly to face Bridget properly. "Two years." Two years was the amount of time before Bridget could engage in any sort of romantic relationship with a former client. Two fucking years. "I regret doing what I did to Pennisi, but this... _you_ , that's the main reason I regret it. I wouldn't have been in Wentworth, you wouldn't have been my psychologist, things would have been different."

Bridget wasn't planning on waiting two years. Waiting almost six months for Franky had been hard enough. "Don't worry about that."

"You can't wait two years, Gidge." Franky gave a small shrug. "Someone will snap you up by then. Fuck, give it two weeks till you haven't seen me and you'll have someone else."

Bridget leaned her elbows on the bed, her right hand coming up to trace over Franky's cheek. "I've told you before you're not someone that's easy to forget about." Franky's lazy smile made one spread over her own face. "We should give you pain meds more often, I like when you actually _talk_ like this."

Franky hummed. "I haven't had the strong stuff in a few hours, so this is actually me just _talking_."

"I knew you were soft touch at heart," Bridget teased lightly.

Franky pondered her next comment but she was unable to stop it from coming out, "Just when I'm with you."

God, why had she ever doubted the woman? Franky's eyes were her give away, had been since they'd first met. "Are you not gonna put your necklace on?"

Looking at the silver chain in her hand, Franky then shyly looked up at Bridget. "Will you keep it for me?"

Bridget's lips curled into a smile. "Why?"

Franky's eyes were possibly the softest Bridget had ever seen them "Because it means that I have to see you when I get out of here to get it back."

Nodding, Bridget let Franky's hands reach around her neck to fasten the small chain. The hands around her neck stayed there and their foreheads came to naturally rest together, contented sighs leaving both of their mouths. "You don't make this easy, do you?" Bridget whispered quietly.

"You know me, can't help myself." If this was happening a few weeks down the line, Franky could close those last few inches and kiss her. "Do you um...do you have to leave?"

Bridget shook her head. "No. I'm not leaving."

Franky was glad, elated actually. She knew there wasn't a chance in hell of Mr Bakula coming anywhere near the room. "How's Red?"

Bridget did grimace a little which caused Franky to sigh in frustration. "Y'know I cant disclose what she said, but she is struggling; blames herself."

"Fuck sake," Franky puffed. "Do the girls know I made parole?"

"No," Bridget shook her head. "Vera wanted you to be the one to tell them." A month and Franky would be free, Bridget was having a hard time comprehending it.

"Y'know you've read my file, counselled me for almost half a year, I think it's only fair I get to know a little about you." Franky had that cheeky grin on her face, something that sometimes drove Bridget mad but she still loved it.

It was one of the main rules in her profession...don't ever reveal details of your personal life. But Bridget figured they had crossed that line a while ago. "Fine. Bit I get to ask you, too."

Franky grinned even wider. "Deal." She wanted to know so much about Bridget but now they were on the spot, it was harder than it seemed to think. "Do you want kids?"

Bridget sucked in a breath. "No. It's never been something I've needed in my life. You?"

"Nuh. I know I'm not technically free, yet, but the idea of coming home after working all day and then having a kid to deal with till the second you fell asleep just isn't for me." They were on the same page with that, Franky thought that was a good start. "Plus, I've got an almost three year old sister now, so I'll be spending time with her when I'm out. My dad was by earlier, he's desperate for us to meet." Noticing Bridget was about to ask, Franky cut in, "Nuh, you can ask about him visiting later - we're playing this just now. But it went well. It was nice to see him," Franky added shyly.

It killed Bridget that only Franky's closest friends - and now her - were the only ones that got to see this vulnerable, soft side to Franky. "Favourite colour?"

Franky rolled her eyes. "What a waste," she laughed. "Blue. Yours?"

"Green." A lot of the furniture in her house was green but it was specifically the colour of Franky's eyes that were her favourite.

Back to Franky's turn. "Any tattoos?"

Bridget tilted her head, a coy smile on her lips. "One. And, you can't ask where or what unless you want to waste two questions." She could sense the turmoil on Franky's face. "Are you gonna get anymore to cover up the scars you've got from inside?"

Franky pondered it. "I want my other arm done when I get out, had any idea about it for a while. But I dunno about the scars. The one Jacs gave me sits right at the top of my chest tattoo so you cant see it unless you really look for it. I've got a small one from when you stitched me up so I'll probably get something there." She looked down to the blanket covering her abdomen. "If I get one to cover this then it's gonna take up my entire middle cause I've got the cherry blossom as well. When's your birthday?" 

"12th September." Bridget noticed the hint of a smile on Franky's face. "What?"

"Virgo," Franky said surprisingly. "Y'know they're best suited with a Taurus."

Bridget laughed. "You like astrology?"

"Is that one of your questions?" Franky raised a question eyebrow, to which Bridget insisted it wasn't.

"Do you like dogs?" Bridget watched Franky screw her eyes up.

"Of course I do," Franky answered enthusiastically. "When I was younger, my dad worked away quite a bit, so he promised me he'd get me a dog to keep me company. I think I was about eight so _she_ had started hitting me pretty bad by that point. My dad came home from work and told me he was taking me to get a dog, but I told him I'd changed my mind because I knew she'd probably beat the shit out the poor thing."

Bridget took Franky's hand that was resting on the bed. "I'm sorry you had to go through all that. You didn't deserve any of it." It genuinely broke her heart that Franky was in prison because of circumstance. Franky was highly intuitive and extremely bright, Bridget couldn't help but wonder what her life would have been like if she was raised in a loving family.

"It's in the past." Franky shrugged it off. "Any siblings?"

"One. An older brother Bryan, he lives in New Zealand with his wife and two kids. He met her when he was there for work, came home to pack his things and that was him," Bridget answered honestly. "I go to him once a year and he comes to me once a year. My parents passed away recently, shortly after each other." She thought of her next question. "Why didn't you start things up with Kim again when she came back to prison?"

"I'm sorry about your parents." God, Bridget really hadn't had an easy few months."I don't wanna be the person that I used to be," Franky admitted sadly. "I wasn't a good friend to her and she was always there when I needed her. If she hadn't tried to attack you and ended up on gear then I'd have tried to be friends with her, but I...I cant forgive her for what she tried to do to you. I can forgive her for shivving me, but not for trying to do it to you."

Bridget smiled softly. "You're loyal."

"Course I am." The H1 girls were her family so, of course, she was loyal, especially to them. "Have you ever cheated...or been cheated on?"

"Been cheated on, but never cheated." Bridget felt Franky's hand tighten round her on, comforting. "You?"

Franky shrugged. "Never really been official with anyone, so no. Anyone I got with in Wentworth knew exactly what they were getting into." Bridget raised her eyebrows. She knew Franky had that player lifestyle inside at one point, but that didn't mean it didn't make her a little jealous. "Okay, uh, what's the worst experience you've ever had in your job?"

Bridget's gaze cast downward, her face going completely void of any emotion. "I watched you almost die, Franky. That was probably the worst experience of my _life,_ never mind my job." 

"Second worst, then?" Franky changed her question. From the bed, Franky could feel the tenseness pulsating from Bridget's body. "I'm sorry. Don't answer that if you don't want to."

Forcing a smile, Bridget shook her head. "It's okay." It was something she'd pushed way down, locked it away, and never told a soul. "I was about twenty-five, wasn't really the most experienced. I worked in a Prison in Sydney, lots of A class prisoners. There was um," she paused and took a deep breath, her grip on Franky's hand getting tighter by the second, "a serial rapist. They'd tried him with multiple counsellors but he wouldn't take to them, but he took to me really well. We were in my office one day and there was a security breach, the officer stationed outside left for no less than two minutes, but that was all it took for him to get me up against the wall. He managed to get my trousers unbuttoned and ripped my shirt off but before he could take it any further, the guard came back and stopped it."

Franky didn't know how long she was silent, didn't even know she was crying until she felt the warm tears on her cheeks. "Someone did that to you?" she cracked out. Bridget, who cared so much about the inmates, no matter their backstory, had been assaulted. Franky sat up on the bed, ignoring the pain in her abdomen; this pain was much worse. "What's his name?! I wanna know who he is!" she hissed out furiously.

Bridget tried her best to coax Franky back into a comfortable position but the brunette was having none of it. "Franky, it was a long time ago. I've let it go, moved on."

There was another attempt to sit up further, but this time Bridget gently eased her back down. "Look at me," she instructed gently. Those watery green eyes forced themselves to look at her and Franky broke completely, the sobs coming out heavily. Mindful of Franky's injuries, Bridget perched herself on the edge of the bed, pulling Franky into a tight embrace. Franky gripped on to her for dear life, afraid to let her go. "It's okay," she soothed gently.

"Promise me if anything ever happens to you in there when I'm gone, then you'll tell Bea." Sensing Bridget's reluctance, Franky pushed harder, "Gidge, promise me. I want her to look out for you when I'm not there. I can't always protect you and that fucking kills me."

"I promise," Bridget sighed out against Franky's forehead. Franky was a good bit taller, meaning her long arms could wrap easily around Bridget's waist as they cuddled on the small hospital bed. If Vera didn't fire her today, she certainly would if she could see them now.

Bridget's lips brushed against Franky's forehead as she spoke, "I'll wait for you," she promised.

Franky smiled into Bridget's neck, feeling real hope for the first time in her life. "Two years?"

"Fuck no," Bridget laughed. "Waiting almost six months for you has been bad enough. As soon as you get out, I'll be there."

Bridget really was her lifeline, her hope. Franky let her eyes flutter closed, praying to whoever was listening that this wasn't the first and only time she got to lay in a bed with Bridget Westfall.

* * *

"Bea. Allie," Mr Jackson acknowledged the two who were walking down the corridor, hands slightly linked. Word had gotten out that the top dog had found herself a girl and neither of them were hiding it anymore. "Just to let you know, Mercado has been slotted for the drugs. It was the right decision and she has no idea the tip off came from you guys. Jake followed her into the kitchen and caught her with the cooker panel off. No Ferguson, no drugs - let's hope we can get some normality back to this place."

Bea kept quiet, acting like she knew exactly what he was talking about, while Allie looked like she was about to jump off a bridge. He talked to them for a few more minutes, telling them how Franky was and that she was expected back in a few days.

Once he was gone, Bea turned to Allie, furious. "You went behind my back? Y'know of anyone else did that I'd bash the shit out of them, Allie."

Allie recoiled slightly, following her raging girlfriend into their unit. "Bea, you were never gonna do it and neither was Franky, you were both too worried about me. I didn't want to be the reason you didn't do something about it. If you weren't with me, you'd have sorted that shit out as soon as you found out about it."

Bea flinched, pulling her arm away as Allie went to touch her. "You don't ever go behind me back. Those decisions are up up me and Franky, and you obviously told Stewart I was on board, didn't you?"

Nodding, Allie trotted after Bea into her cell. "I'm sorry, okay? I don't want you being compromised because of me. Your Top Dog, Bea - you cant let the fact you have a girlfriend stop you from doing that."

"But it does!" Bea yelled loudly, throwing herself on to the bed. Where was Franky when she needed her? "I'm compromised, Allie. People can come after you because of me and that fucking terrified me."

"Bea," Allie sighed out, but was immediately cut off. 

"You lied to me," Bea fumed. "Went behind my back. You don't ever go behind my back ever again."

Allie's face filled with sadness. "I'm sorry."

Bea only shook her head. "You should sleep in you own cell tonight."

Allie's mouth fell open slightly. She couldn't remember the last time she slept apart from Bea. "Bea, please -"

"Allie!" Bea interrupted harshly. "I want some time alone. Just go. Please." Allie walked like a zombie back to her own cell, vaguely registering the rest of the H1 girls who were saying whatever to was they were saying to her as she walked by. She couldn't bare the thought sleeping without Bea.

How the hell would she cope if their relationship ended?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Fridget are really getting there, and Ballie have hit a slight roadblock. I know whoever is reading may be annoyed with Vera but as stated, she doesn't see the two of them together and the different side of Franky she's with Bridget, so naturally she is worried about her friend. There will be a bit more drama for both couples before the story wraps up completely, that's why this chapter was pretty Fridget soft. 
> 
> Hope everyone is taking care.
> 
> WWFan10.


	11. Gone

"Miss Westfall?" Bea sped up quickly to the psychologist, who had now stopped in her tracks, waiting for her. Bridget had her eyebrows raised, questioning. "Sorry. Bridget," she corrected with a wave of her hands. "Look, I'm sorry to ask but is there any chance I can speak to Franky today?" Desperate wasn't the word, she had barely spoken to Allie for three days and after speaking to Mr Stewart, it was confirmed Allie had told him that busting Tina with the drugs had been Bea's idea and that Allie was just the messenger. Maxine and Lix were too nice, telling her to just forgive Allie. Kaz was obviously Allie's best friend and despite the two of them being friends, Bea didn't feel comfortable discussing issues in their relationship. Boomer was too busy missing Franky to even know what day it was.

How the hell would she cope when Franky left? 

"What's going on, Bea?" Bridget worriedly asked. "You don't look yourself, at all." And she hadn't since the Ferguson incident.

Bea was anxious, on edge, fidgety, and just all round all over the place. "I just need to speak to Franky. She's the only person I can talk to about this kinda stuff."

By this point, Bridget had guided them towards her office, gesturing for Bea to sit down, which she did without even thinking about it. "Why don't you try talking to me? Just...give it a go and see how you feel."

Bea was extremely hesitant. She liked Bridget, really liked her actually, especially since she seemed to bring out such a different side to Franky. "I'm sorry. I just, I don't do well talking about these kinda of things."

Clearly Bea and Franky were cut from the same cloth, Bridget thought. "Is it about you and Allie?"

God, the woman was incredibly intuitive, and the fact she was so nice and caring didn't exactly help Bea feeling guilty for shooting her down. "Yeah," she answered simply. "We had a fight, haven't spoken properly in a few days. She's...she's been sleeping in her own cell, instead of mine."

Bridget nodded. "What was this fight about?"

Again, Bea could feel herself getting angry. "Allie went behind my back, told Mr Stewart I'd agreed to _find_ the drugs Mercado had stashed. The reason we couldn't do anything about them was because Allie was the only one outside Tina's crew who knew, and Franky and I agreed it was too risky incase they came after her."

"So she did something without confiding in you first, and that upsets you?" Bridget pondered. She suggested to the kettle and Bea gave a hesitant shrug, almost saying _why not_. "Have the two of you spoken about it, at all?"

"She's tried," Bea admitted. "But I'm just so, so angry. It's not even the lying, it's that she put herself in danger. I know Mr Stewart technically _caught_ Tina, but her crew has eyes everywhere - all of us do in here. What if someone saw her talking to him and puts two and two together?"

Bridget mulled over the situation. "I understand you're angry, Bea. You're in a relationship and these decisions are meant to be made together."

"But not with Allie," Bea cut in quickly. "Those types of decisions come from Franky and I, we make those decisions. Allie had no place getting involved."

Knowing Bea most likely felt the same way as she did, Bridget asked, "Do you feel compromised being Top Dog now that Allie's a big part of your life?"

There was a lengthy pause before Bea nodded. "Yeah. Look, I'm sure Franky has talked to you about this kind of thing; no one _wants_ to be Top Dog. It drains you in every way." She looked at Bridget sadly. "I don't want to do it anymore, especially because Franky's leaving soon - she makes it tolerable. I'd give anything for the quiet life, and now that Freak's gone there's a chance I can actually have it."

"You can have it, Bea." Bridget offered tea or coffee, Bea choosing coffee. "Bea, can you really see yourself being Top Dog for the rest of your time in here?"

"No!" Even the thought made her stomach turn. All she wanted was an easy life. "I want to step down, that's always been in the back of my head when it came to the time Franky was going to leave." She grimaced slightly, "The drugs are gone. Fergusons's gone. But I can't just step down and have someone like Juice take over."

Bridget couldn't control the laugh that slipped out. "What happens if you did step down? How would the women choose a new Top Dog?"

"A vote, I guess." Bea shrugged. She knew who she wanted for the job, but if the women didn't want it, too, then she'd have to stay. "Kaz is perfect for it. She wants what's best for the women, she cares, she's anti-drugs, she's got a decent group of girls behind her."

"Would Franky agree?" Bridget asked tentatively.

Bea nodded, accepting her cup of coffee with a thank you. "We've spoke about it, both of us think she's the best person to step up."

"I think sideline the Kaz thing for now and wait until you can talk properly to Franky," Bridget began. "With regards to the Allie situation, you need to really talk to her, tell her exactly how you feel. But don't do it when you're still angry, you'll say something you regret and I really don't think you want this relationship to end. And I'm really sorry, Bea, but it's Mr Bakula who's with Franky at the hospital right now; if it was Will or Vera then you know I'd let you call her."

Bea nodded gratefully, anyway. "Thank you. Y'know for listening."

* * *

"Pick a number," Linda demanded as she sat in the chair next to Franky's bed with her feet up, looking up at the small TV on the wall that she'd had control of since her shift change over.

Franky grimaced. "Smiles, I'm really not interested into horses. I'm technically the patient; it's my TV, I don't wanna watch this shit."

Linda only ignored her, continuing to bet on her phone for the upcoming race. "Number five or ten."

Giving in, Franky went along with it. "Ten." She almost cried with relief when Bridget came through the door. "Thank god." 

Still, Linda was focused on the TV, simply muttering a quiet greeting to Bridget as the race began. "I swear if you lose me money, Doyle."

Franky all but through her hands up. "You asked me to pick a number."

Once the race was done, Linda practically bounced out of her chair, grinning. "I should rely on you more often," she said to Franky.

"Please don't," Franky grimaced. "Don't I get some sort of cut since I actually picked the winner?"

Linda continued to mess about on her phone. "Seventy dollars up. Thanks for that, Doyle." She turned to Bridget. "You okay with her?"

Bridget could feel Franky's eyes almost begging her. "We'll be fine," she confirmed with a polite smile. Linda Miles was nice enough but dear god, the woman had zero interest in a anything but making money.

Once Linda was gone, Franky sighed heavily, "You have to convince Vera to let me out. I cant watch anymore fucking horse races, Gidge. I'm going mad."

Lips held together tightly, Bridget tried not to laugh. "You're getting out tomorrow. You can survive one more day."

"Y'know, she had that bloody nurse she's been flirting with in here earlier, watching those races with her." Franky sat up on the bed, finally able to do so without the pain. They'd taken her off antibiotics last night and now had her on oral painkillers which she could continue at Wentworth. "I think I might try a Bea and escape."

"You're technically under my care right now, so please don't do that," Bridget teased. "Will's gonna stop by after his shift."

"Hows the girls?" Franky asked worriedly.

Bridget laid a calming hand on Franky's arm. "Relax. Nothing bad's going on. I think they're all just worried and they miss you."

"Not surprised. I'm very missable." Franky was joking, but unknowing to her, Bridget was silently agreeing with her. Any time she was in her office alone, she found herself staring at the clock, waiting for it to strike the hour where she could leave and come visit Franky. "I need outta this bed." It had been five days and the furthest she had walked, was around her room a few times and stood for ten minutes in the shower this morning.

"You want to go for a walk?" Bridget suggested. She didn't really know if that was allowed but Linda was probably on her way to the bookies by now and Vera had board meetings almost all day.

"Really?" When Bridget nodded, she smiled. "I'm not fucking walking anywhere in this gown, though." She saw Bridget roll her eyes. There was a fresh pair of teal trousers and a t-shirt that had been brought for her returning to Wentworth. "Could you hand me that, please?"

Bridget didn't move, though. "I think I should get a nurse to help you."

Dismissively, Franky waved her hand. "Nuh, it's all good. Had a shower by myself this morning."

Glaring, Bridget heaved out a frustrated breath. "Franky, you're not supposed to do that unsupervised."

Franky heaved herself to sit on the edge of the bed, trying her best to steady her breathing as the shower this morning had really taken it out of her, but she also really needed out of this bed for her own sanity. "Gigde, I draw the line at people showering me...unless it's of a sexual nature." Her eyes had that familiar twinkle, causing Bridget to smile as always. She slipped her teal tracksuit bottoms over the bottom of her hospital gown, thankful that whoever sent them had given her the baggier ones for comfort. She realised she didn't have a bra on and she swallowed heavily. She managed to slip the front of the garment on while Bridget averted her gaze, trying her best to make easy conversation despite Franky being half naked. 

Bridget felt Franky looking at her. "Do you need me to..." she trailed off, hands suggesting to Franky's back where the strap was unfastened. Franky nodded, letting the hospital gown slip to the floor while she held the front of her bra so it stayed in place. Bridget's hands tensed before they went anywhere near Franky, psychologically trying to get them to stop shaking. Eventually, she managed to slip the clasp together. The hard part was over, she thought, until Franky turned back around and was stood topless in front of her. She winced at the length of the wound cover over Franky's sternum.

"It's really not that bad," Franky said softly. "Nurse said it's healing really well, no sign of infection or anything." Bridget looked far from convinced, however. Slowly, Franky slipped her arms into her t-shirt, careful not to raise them as that seemed to be what caused most of the pain. "Fuck." Her arms were stuck at her side inside the t-shirt, but she couldn't find the energy to bring it over her head. She didn't want to seem weak, though, especially in front of Bridget, so she tried again. "Fucking hell!"

"Okay,' Bridget intervened, taking a step forward, bringing them extremely close together. "I know you don't like asking for help, but you were _stabbed_ , so I think it's okay that you get a free pass on the help front. Yeah?" Franky rolled her eyes but did not object. "Can you lift up you arms about half way?" Franky did so and Bridget was able to get her head through the t-shirt. From the awkward angle, however, it was stuck at the top of Franky's breasts. Bridget couldn't help but look at the garment, she could feel her breathing increase as she did, though. Franky's body was stunning. She was naturally tanned, her abs were extremely toned, but she was muscular yet curvy in all the right places. They both reached up at the same time to pull the t-shirt down fully, Franky's hands covering Bridget's as she slid the material down. Her hands raked down Franky's sides, over her large cherry blossom tattoo. Bridget's hands were frozen, thumbs slightly tracing over Franky's protruding hip bones.

Franky tried to steady her breathing, but with Bridget's hands on her, it was near enough impossible. Fuck, she wanted to kiss her so bad, she didn't think she could wait another few weeks. Bridget's usual blue eyes had darkened, Franky was positive her own were probably black from looking at the woman in front of her. Her hand reached out to fiddle with the necklace Bridget was wearing between her fingers. "You're still wearing it," she husked out.

Bridget nodded, completely untrusting herself to speak. Her thumbs were still lightly scratching at Franky's hip bones. It was inappropriate, touching each other like this, but it was impossible not to. Will had been right that first day, Franky was like a magnet. She cleared her throat, "So, a walk. You ready?"

Franky tilted her head. The hand that wasn't playing with the necklace came up to settle against Bridget's collarbones as did the other one. "Think I'd rather stay like this with you."

"Franky." The utter turmoil in Bridget's voice was clear. She wanted it just as bad as Franky did, but there was no coming back once that line was crossed, and she did not want whatever they were potentially going to have between them to start inside a prison. Surprisingly, Franky side stepped away from Bridget. As much as she wanted Bridget, it was never her intention to put them in these situations - it just happened naturally. "So...cafeteria coffee?" 

Shaking her head with a smile, Franky slowly followed Bridget out of the room. "You know how to spoil a girl, don't cha?"

Linda was no where to be seen, as suspected. The cafeteria was two floors down in the elevator and luckily no one second glanced at Franky, her teal trousers just looked like regular tracksuit bottoms. Franky had requested Will bring her some cash from her stash in her cell, so she insisted on paying for their coffees. Bridget fucking adored the soft side of Franky. They'd only been out of Franky's room for ten minutes but Bridget could tell she was struggling as they made their way to a table in the corner, her energy levels had dropped significantly and she looked exhausted all of a sudden. She'd came off the sedatives almost straight away and was no longer on morphine, and from their chat yesterday, Bridget had learned Franky was struggling to sleep at night. 

"You okay?" Bridget touched her hand again, a habit she was becoming far too accustomed to. They'd spent a good whack of alone time together in the past few days and habits were starting to form.

Franky smiled genuinely. "Course I am." Any time spent with Bridget made her feel immeasurably better about everything. "I'm used to being so active and I haven't been for a few days. Gonna take a while to build it back up, I think."

"You're gonna have to be careful, your stitches have to stay in for ten days to two weeks, so you can't be doing any physical activity for a while." Bridget sipped her latte.

"Does this mean I'm not getting lucky on our first date today?" Franky grinned wildly, and as much Bridget tried not to, she couldn't help but laugh.

"If hospital coffee is your idea of a first date then I'm afraid this is our first and last date," Bridget said mischievously, much to Franky's delight. She noticed the brunette blushing slightly and she couldn't help but laugh. "I never thought I'd see the day where Franky Doyle was blushing."

Franky looked away awkwardly. "Shut up." Change the subject, she told herself. "How are the girls? Be honest."

Bridget gave a half shrug. "Missing you, especially Boomer and Bea."

"At least Bea's got Allie to keep her company." Franky didn't miss the split second of doubt on Bridget's face. "What? What's happened?"

This was another situation that was far from ideal. "They busted the drugs from the kitchen." 

Now that surprised Franky. "Red let them? She was so against it incase they linked it to Allie."

"Bea will talk to you tomorrow when you're back. She really wanted to speak to you today, but it was Mr Bakula here so it was impossible." Bridget took another sip of her coffee. "Wouldn't have worked." Franky was curious as to what was going on, but knew Bridget wouldn't give anything away. "Butttt," Bridget began dramatically. "I can tell you that Derek Channing was involved in the entire escape plan of Ferguson." 

Franky's face was a picture. "No fuckin' way?" Allie had told her the stories about the RM and his brothels, but helping a prisoner - _Joan Ferguson_ \- escape, was something else. 

"Brody's phone went off, one of the Special Ops team answered it and tracked it to Channing. He was waiting at an airport with a private jet, had a fake passport for Ferguson and a hundred thousand dollars." Bridget went on to tell Franky he was claiming blackmail and had to do it. His fingerprints were found on both guns, however, effectively proving he had been the one to sneak them in for Brody and Ferguson.

"Holy fuck." Franky took a large gulp of her coffee. "He was a creep, but I didn't think he'd go that far." Franky eyed Bridget curiously. "Are you sleeping any better?"

"Don't worry about me." Bridget smiled, but Franky could tell it was completely forced. Truth was, no she wasn't. She awoke every night expecting to see Franky covered in blood. She was struggling.

Franky took Bridget's hand from under the table where it had been resting on her thigh. "I'm worried about you."

"Don't be," Bridget insisted. She encouraged they finish their coffees and head back upstairs. It was doubtful Linda would be back if she knew Bridget was there with Franky but it wasn't worth the risk. "Easy." She helped Franky up but their hands stayed clasped, only dropping when they began to walk, but they still grazed with every step they took.

Once awaiting the elevator, there was two younger men also waiting. Franky noticed them ogle Bridget from behind as she leaned forward to push the button on the elevator. She clenched her jaw. Ignore it, she told herself.

_Look at the fucking arse on her._

That was all it took for Franky to turn to face them, shoulders squared as she looked them up and down. "What the fuck did you just say about her?!" She was about to take another step forward when Bridget grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the elevator. The two younger men tried to enter but Franky blocked their path. "Take the fucking stairs!" Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Bridget looking at her. "What?"

"They're just teenagers, Franky," Bridget scolded with a laugh. "You have to learn to ignore that shit."

"It's disrespectful," Franky huffed. "They have to learn somewhere."

Franky's walking pace had slowed significantly since they first left. Once they were back inside the room, Franky all but collapsed onto the bed with a satisfied groan. She vaguely remembered Bridget fixing her blanket before her eyes began to close, it was nearing 7pm and she hadn't slept all day. Something didn't quite feel right, though, and blindly extended her hand, which Bridget took straight away. She'd had the odd nightmare since the incident but mostly when she closed her eyes, about to fall asleep, there was a distant voice inside her head, a begging voice.

The voice was telling her she loved her over and over.

* * *

It had been two hours since Bea had gone to bed, she had been the last to enter her cell the past few nights. Allie had went well before her, around 10pm, glancing back hopefully to see if Bea was coming with her to bed. Bea simply kept her eyes on her sketch pad, still not ready to talk. Rumours had started among the junkies of a possible snitch as the drugs had been hiding for months but had yet to be found, and now it was apparently suspicious they were gone as soon as Ferguson and Brody were out the way. She had tossed and turned for two hours, unable to sleep. Part of it was worry regarding the entire drug situation, and worrying about Franky, but Bea knew the biggest part was that she was sleeping alone without Allie.

With a sigh, she heaved herself out of bed and made her way to Allie's cell. Bea expected her girlfriend to be asleep, but Allie was awake, sitting up in her bed, staring at the wall. Her blue eyes snapped to the door when she saw Bea hovering in the doorway. "Hey."

Bea could tell straight away that she had been crying, her voice was hoarse and her eyes were red and puffy. "Hi." She sat on the bed, mirroring Allie's position as they both sat with their backs against the wall, only their shoulders touching. "Why aren't you asleep?"

Allie turned her head to glare. Was Bea really that clueless? "Because my fucking girlfriend has barely said more than five words to me in days." Even now, Bea would hardly meet her gaze. "If you're gonna sit there in silence and barely even look at me, then just go." 

"You went behind my back, Allie," Bea gritted out. "What if they click on it was you who lagged? How the fuck am I supposed to cope with every junkie in this place after you? You saw yourself what they tried to do to Franky."

"You wouldn't have done it, neither would Franky," Allie said simply.

Bea did look up this time. "Because I love you! The thought of anything happening to you fucking terrifies me."

Tentatively, Allie took Bea's hand. Bea let her, but didn't clasp their fingers like she usually would. "Nothing is gonna happen. Mr Stewart went in as if he was looking for Miss Bennett, that's when he sprung Tina with the stash." She lightly tucked a stray curl behind Bea's ear. "I promise you I will never lie to you again."

"You'd better not," Bea stated firmly. "I don't want you getting involved in these situations, Allie. You haven't been here long enough to know what some of these women are capable of."

"I thought you were gonna leave me." Allie curled herself into Bea's side, their first proper contact in days. She had really fucking missed her.

Bea rolled her eyes. "As if you'd actually let me."

Suddenly, Allie found herself thinking of Bridget and Franky. "I just keep thinking if that Freak had stabbed you...I don't think I could live without you." She had ten years in Wentworth but she'd spend her entire life here to stay with Bea. "Did you see how fucking traumatised Westfall was? I think they're like proper in love."

Having known Franky for years, Bea had never seen her best friend like this; Franky had definitely gone soft, had finally been tamed. "I just want Franky to get out of here. She deserves more than anyone to be happy, and Bridget makes her happy."

Allie sighed in pure contentment as Bea kissed her forehead several times. "I missed sleeping next to you."

Bea rolled them both onto their sides, facing each other, foreheads touching lightly. "I love you, even if it scares the shit out of me."

Allie kissed her softly. "I love you, too. And nothing is gonna happen to me." She kissed Bea again, and again, until her body was fully on top of Bea's. "Do you know what the best part about fighting is?" she husked into her girl's ear.

Bea watched in anticipation as Allie stripped off her pyjama tank top. "I've got a rough idea."

"Make up sex," Allie grinned.

* * *

Franky sat in the Governor's office. She didn't know if it was because she'd been gone nearly a week, or because she'd spent so much time with Bridget, but the place just didn't feel like home anymore. Of course she was excited to see the girls, but the entire feeling of the place was different. Vera was being extremely kind, putting measures in place so she didn't need to stay in medical, but only if she promised to not go anywhere alone until her stitches were out in a weeks time.

"And remember, if you need anything to help you sleep." Vera herself had been struggling, and Jake had taken up residence in the spare room.

Franky shook her head. "I'm good." She was still on oral painkillers and had to report to medical every four hours for her dose. "Can I go to my unit now?"

"Not yet." Vera insisted Franky sit back down as she was already standing. "I want to talk to you about Miss Westfall."

Franky felt her chest seize with panic but forced herself to shrug. "What about her?"

Vera's gaze was penetrating. "You know what I'm talking about, Franky." 

Knowing Vera and Bridget had already spoken about it, Franky didn't really know why Vera was talking to her. "Nothin's happened, she told you that. She wouldn't cross that line."

"And I want to make sure you don't cross it...when you get out of here in three weeks." Vera watched Franky sit up slightly in her chair, a confused look on her face. "Bridget hasn't had the easiest year, and I don't want you getting her hopes up that the two of you can somehow have a _relationship_. Bridget's one of my closest friends and you saved my life, so if I did find out something was happening between the two of you when you leave here, I wouldn't report either of you. Franky, I like you, I really do. But you and I both know that you will hurt her and when you do, she won't recover from that. It's obvious how she feels and you know that."

Franky was frozen to her seat, unable to speak. Eventually, she cleared her throat, "Can I go?" Vera nodded and called for Will to take her back to H1. "Could you...can you take me to see Miss Westfall, please?"

Will noticed the unease in her voice and knowing what she went through, he didn't want to be the one to start questioning her - that was Bridget's job. "I don't know if she has anyone in with her but we can swing by and check." Franky only nodded and followed him along the corridor. He knocked on Bridget's office door, and even the calm, soothing shout of _come in_ made her chest ache. "Uh, Doyle wants to speak with you, if you have any spare time."

Seeing Franky out of that hospital gown gave her nothing but pure relief. "Of course." The paperwork could wait. "You look so much better. How are you today? Any pain?"

"Gidget," Franky sighed out. "I...I can't see you anymore."

Bridget picked the meaning up completely wrong, however. "Of course you can. The sessions aren't limited to when you were up for parole, you can still see me even though you've made parole. You can see me until the day you leave if you have to."

Her throat was tightening, she could feel it. "That's not what I mean." Franky couldn't look at her, knowing she'd break completely if she did. "This... _us_ , it's never going to work on the outside. You're a fucking renowned psychologist and I'm an ex con. It's stupid to think this could ever work." The worst of the entire thing was that Franky thought they could actually work, but Vera was right - she'd fuck it up somehow, just like she did everything else in her life. "You can do way better, so I want you to forget about me and just live your life."

Bridget cleared her throat, hastily wiping the tears that had started to fall. This wasn't the Franky she'd spent the last week with. "I don't want to forget about you." She couldn't, it was impossible. Franky was her first and last thought every day. "Franky, we can still see each other here and then -"

"No we cant!" Franky yelled, and her voice finally cracked. "I can't be around you because every time I'm with you, I don't want you to go. I have to leave here in three weeks and," she trailed off, unable to stop the chocked sob from wracking her entire body "and I'm never gonna see you again. I have to get used to that, right now." Everything she'd thought about doing with Bridget when she got out of Wentworth wasn't going to happen, and that broke her fucking heart. "I have to get used to being without you, even though it's the last thing I want to do."

"I don't accept that," Bridget said firmly. "I've spent almost six months with you, I ca...I can't just walk away from you." They were both crying, it was a break up without them actually being together. "Just take some time and think about what you're saying." She took a step forward, all but pinning Franky against her office door. "Please don't do this."

Franky tensed her eyes, it didn't help the tears, though. "Promise me you'll take care of yourself," she begged hoarsely. She had no right to do so, but her thumb came to brush over Bridget's bottom lip. "I loved every fucking second I spent with you." Her hands rested firmly on Bridget's cheeks and she could feel the hot tears on her hands.

"Why are you doing this?" Bridget touched their foreheads together for what was possibly the last time. "I promised you I wouldn't leave. Y...you have to keep the same promise."

Franky shook her head firmly. "This is what's best for you, trust me. I can't risking hurting you because I'd never fucking forgive myself if I did."

"Franky," Bridget cried softly. 

"I'm not gonna say it because it makes it too hard." Franky looked deep into those broken blue eyes. "But I _do_." She kissed Bridget's forehead softly. "You were the only girl I ever wanted, and I'm so fucking sorry."

Bridget held on to Franky's hands as they slipped down her body, and in a split second, Franky had left, leaving her alone in her office. The tears were blinding, she couldn't see, could barely breathe. Franky bolted to the nearest bathroom, thankful no one had saw her. She locked herself inside one of the bathroom stalls and began to cry uncontrollably.

Both were certain they had just lost the love of their life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know some people will be confused as to why Franky let Vera get to her but the point is that Franky already thinks she isn't good enough for Bridget so hearing it from someone else was the nail in the coffin for her emotionally. Sorry to the Ballie shippers but I think their story here is pretty much done and they'll live happily ever after in this universe. Fridget are inevitably going to struggle especially after getting so close whilst Franky was in hospital.
> 
> WWFan10.


	12. Finally

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little different from the rest, it has much smaller "scenes" as Bridget and Franky aren't speaking, so instead of 3 larger scenes like the rest of the story, it has a few smaller ones. This kinda wraps things up but there will be a chapter or two of  
> Fridget at home together in the first week or so of Franky's release. I'm considering a Fridget sequel that will basically be one-shots documenting the important points in their life. Just for the record, Allie and Bea live happily ever after in this universe.
> 
> WWFan10.

"Nuh, trust me." Boomer walked into the H1 unit with Liz and Maxine in tow. "She was defs crying, I saw her with me own eyes. Was walking' straight to her office with tears in her eyes."

Bea, Franky, and Allie were sat round the table playing cards. Bea looked up at Franky, whose eyes were zeroed in on Boomer, unmoving. "What's going on?" Bea asked.

Franky had been back for a week and upon returning, had told Bea everything that had happened with Bridget. It had been a week and the two had zero contact, other than passing each other in the corridors. Franky was a mess and from what Bea had see of Bridget, the psychologist didn't look any better. She had tried her best to convince Franky to ignore everything Vera had said, but when Franky had her mind set on something, there was no changing it.

"We saw Miss Westfall and she's not looking too great," Liz confirmed. She had no clue of the situation going on, only that Franky had a soft spot for the blonde psychologist.

Franky tossed her cards on to the table and got out of her chair, kicking it back into place as she made her way to her cell. Everyone just about flinched at the sound of the cell door slamming. Bea and Allie were looking at each other, they had both spoken about how Franky had been in a bad place since she returned from the hospital. Luckily, the rest of the girls thought it was to do with the whole Ferguson situation and didn't ask Franky too many questions.

"She's getting worse," Maxine commented worriedly. No one had told her, but she had an intuition that something was going on with Franky and Miss Westfall. Franky had stopped seeing the psychologist and hadn't been herself ever since, and neither had Miss Westfall - it was far too coincidental, she thought.

With a sigh, Bea told the girls she'd handle it and made her way to Franky's cell. Her friend was curled up on the bed, facing the wall, looking lost. "You okay?"

"I miss her," Franky said simply. She was out of tears, though, having cried herself to sleep every night. "I miss her all the time, Red. It never goes away."

Bea sat at the bottom of the bed. "I think that's the point of being in love; it doesn't just _go_ away. Have you seen her?"

Franky shrugged. "Walked by her a few times, try not to look, though, cause I feel like my chest is gonna fucking combust." She stared at a spot on the ceiling, completely lost. "I need out of here, I can't face being around her and not talking to her." Every day was getting worse, even getting out of bed for work duty was a hardship.

Sighing, Bea had no idea what to say to make Franky feel better. "Franky, do you honestly think you'll be able to leave here and just forget about her? You're gonna crack at some point and try get in touch with her."

The thought had obviously crossed Franky's mind. "Nuh, it's not happenin'. That's why I'm staying away, just now."

"So a three week head start is gonna help?" Bea didn't look convinced. "You're worse off not speaking to her." She touched Franky's knee, squeezing it gently. "You're a fucking mess, Franky. And so is she."

Franky rolled on to her back, hands covering her face in sheer frustration. "I can't go talk to her, Red, I've already told her to stay away - I can't fuck with her head like that, it's not fair." She thought back to how upset Bridget had been when she _ended things_. "You didn't see how fucking devastated she was." Her throat was tightening again, the stinging in her eyes slowly beginning. "If I talk to her, I'm only gonna hurt her even more. I need to stay away."

Usually Franky was smart, but right now, she was failing to see what was right in front of her. "Franky, does that not fucking tell you something? She was devastated, you said she barely left your side in hospital, told you shit about herself, that you totally bonded or whatever." Franky's face was blank, confused even. "She loves you, fuck sake. I was a fucking mess when you got stabbed, but she was worse - she was fucking terrified that you were gonna die, Franky. I couldn't hear what she was saying but she had her face so close to yours, whispering to you, wouldn't let go of your hand. Will had to practically drag her off to let the paramedics near you."

Getting stabbed was agony.

But it turned out heartbreak was a lot worse.

* * *

Bridget stacked the chairs on top of each other, glad that her group session was finally over and with that, so was her working day. Franky's usual spot in the group sessions was direct to her left, but it was vacant today, filled by one of Juice's crew instead. She left the chair till last, looking at it sadly, remembering the countless times Franky had stayed behind to help her clear the Education Centre. Franky had always pretended to look at the library books until everyone else was gone, and then with that cheeky grin, she had helped Bridget, both of them taking as long as they could, just for some extra time together. She sat down in the last chair, her thoughts once again drifting to Franky, like they seemed to do all the time. It was unknown how long she sat there, only looking up when she heard footsteps enter the room. Looking up, Bridget froze when she realised who was staring in shock back at her.

Franky.

Swallowing heavily, Franky swayed on her tip toes a little. "Sorry. You're usually done by now." That was why she had purposely waited half an hour before going to study...to avoid the exact situation she was currently in.

Bridget didn't reply and stood from the chair, her hand gesturing to the empty room. "Go ahead. I'm just leaving."

Franky noted how tired Bridget looked. "Have you um, have you been sleeping okay since the...incident?"

"Fine,' Bridget answered briskly. She placed the last chair out of the way and went to gather her paperwork. "How's your scar?"

"S'okay," Franky shrugged. "Itches sometimes but it's okay."

Bridget only nodded before shuffling past Franky and leaving the room, not even looking at the brunette as she walked by. "Fuck," Franky hissed out when she heard the door close. It was the first they had spoken in over a week, and if possible, she now felt even worse after talking to Bridget...if that sad conversation could even be considered talking. She shuffled on to sit on one of the tables, her knees coming up to rest under her chin. Her eyes began to water, all of her filling with regret at the decision she had made to cut them both free. The door opened causing Franky to let her knees fall, her hands hastily wiping at her eyes and cheeks to hopefully hide the remnants of her crying.

It was Bridget who stood frozen in the doorway this time, Franky looked up once before looking away. Bridget breathed out slowly, her heart aching at the sight of Franky upset. "Forgot my..." she started but trailed off, not seeing the point of putting herself through the torture. She quickly withdrew her laptop charger from the socket and was out of the room as quickly as she entered. She stopped outside the door, out of Franky's view, torn between going back in or leaving. Her hand hovered over the door handle but in the end, she walked off down the corridor.

Franky had told her to stay away, had broken her heart.

So she'd stay away.

* * *

Bea let the water drip down her body, her eyes closing tightly as it pelted down her face. Slowly, she turned her head, an eyebrow raised at the intruder who was leaning over the barrier from the next stall, staring into her own. "Do you need something?" She kept her face serious as she was unabashedly looked up and down.

"I could think of about a million thing that I need from you, right now." Allie's eyes trailed all over Bea's naked, dripping body. She thought back to that first day in the showers. "You gonna bash me for looking?"

Shaking her head, Bea grinned at the memory. "What would you have done if I actually let you do what you wanted that day?"

"That's a tough one," Allie answered honestly. "I didn't know you at that point, just thought you were hot as fuck, so I would have done it. But now that I'm actually with you, I would've regretted doing it like that the first time."

Bea stood away from the water, turning to stand within inches of Allie's face. "There's always this time," she said huskily.

Allie's own towel was off and she was in Bea's stall in a flash, bringing them both under the water as their lips crashed together. Bea had them turned quickly, though, pinning Allie's hands to the wall, just like she had that very first day. Allie mirrored the events, kissing up Bea's jawline until she got to her earlobe. It was taken between her teeth before she whispered, "Go on then."

Bea's hands let go off Allie's wrists, her hands trailing down her girlfriend's naked body, nails scraping over the smooth skin. Allie hissed as Bea's mouth wrapped round her nipple, the constant stream of water was only adding to her already heavy arousal. Through the spray of the water, she looked down to see Bea Smith kneeling between her legs. It was a sight she'd fantasised about since she'd first met the red head, and now she got to experience it whenever they wanted. Bea had the back of her hips gripped hard, nails biting into her soft flesh. "Holy fuck," she moaned out as Bea thrust her hips forward to taste her. Fucking hell, Bea Smith was a fast learner. Bea circled her clit and thrust her tongue inside her girl's soaking centre. 

The sound of the bathroom door opening caused Allie's own hand to clamp over her mouth. Bea stopped what she was doing, only for Allie's hands to grab at her hair and force her back to pleasuring her girlfriend. She was torn, doubting Allie could keep quiet enough, but not at all wanting to stop.

It was Boomer and Maxine, they both realised.

"There you are," they heard Maxine say as she obviously spotted Allie from the opposite side of the bathroom.

Allie's eyes were clenched shut, it took for Bea to slap her arse to get her to respond. "Here I am," she sighed out. Jesus Christ, she was about to have an orgasm whilst her friends were in the same room. "Fuck. Fuck."

"Ay?" Boomer questioned the blonde.

Allie slid down the wall a little, managing to grasp her hands into Bea's soaking wet hair as she came sharply, eyes clenched shut and she groaned into Bea's hair. She struggled to catch her breath, a lazy smile on her face. "What the fuck do I do now? How do I get out of here?" Bea whispered out. Both of her friends were there to shower and the chances of them being caught were now extremely high.

Allie laughed silently, her entire body exhausted. "We're gonna have to wait it out, babe."

"For fuck sake," Bea groaned out.

* * *

"That's a new one."

Rolling her eyes at the intrusion, Bridget plastered a smile on her face before turning around, bringing herself face to face with Lucy Gambaro and Stella Radic. "I'm sorry?"

Juice trailed her eyes up and down the smaller woman's body, whilst Stella remained a few steps behind, sneering. "That lovely skirt of yours." They both laughed. Bridget didn't even bother to acknowledge the comment and continued sorting her paperwork from the group session that hadn't long ended. "We always look forward to seeing you in your posh little outfits, don't we, Stell?"

Stella nodded. "That's the best one yet, ay?"

Bridget did her best to remain un-phased, but being around Gambaro made her feel like she needed a shower. She'd read the woman's file, heard the stories, knew exactly what the woman and her crew were capable of.

And now she was in the library with her.

Alone, without a guard.

Stella wasn't really a factor, Bridget had quickly picked up that the woman was simply a follower and did exactly as Juice told her, but when she was on her own, Stella wasn't really a bother.

"Lot's of paperwork to do." Bridget held up the files with a tight lipped smile. "Do either of you actually need anything?"

Juice took another step closer. "Y'know, Miss Westfall, that's something I've noticed about you." Bridget raised her eyebrows, silently telling the inmate to continue. "You only pay attention to _certain_ inmates."

"Lucy, I'm a psychologist; not an officer," Bridget explained calmly, though she hadn't missed the dig that had been made. "You've never requested any help or advice from me, so unless you do, I can't really pay you any attention. I run group sessions almost every day and if you ever feel the need to speak to me alone, you know exactly where I am."

"See, we heard there's someone special in here that gets almost all your attention." Juice raised an eyebrow.

And there was Bridget thinking the mind games would stop now that Ferguson was dead. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Nuh, but we get it," Stella chimed in. "Franky is _special_."

"The tattoos, those little dimples when she smiles," Juice teased. "Does she taste as good as she looks?"

Bridget's jaw clenched. "Talk to me like that ever again and I'll call for an officer." She looked the woman dead in the eye, not flinching. "Get out!"

"Don't worry, Miss Westfall, we wouldn't make a move on your girl." Juice took another step forward, causing Bridget's hand to fall to her radio. "I just want some of Franky's girl...and that's you."

Bridget felt herself be pushed back forcefully against the wall behind her, hands were at her blouse before she had a chance to stop them, ripping the buttons off the silky white material. She tried to reach for her radio but the woman was probably three times her size and grasped her hands firmly, keeping them at her side. Her eyes clenched shut, there was no point in fighting it. 

"Fuck!"

Both women looked round to see Stella fall to the ground. Franky was standing over her, a now broken pool cue in hand, having just smashed it across the large woman's back. Stella got to her feet as quickly as possible before bolting out of the room. Franky's eyes zoned in on the two women against the wall and the position they were in. Juice was standing far too close to Bridget, and the latters blouse had been torn open.

Rage.

A range unlike anything Franky had felt before in her life. Her hands were shaking, breathing was almost impossible. She took a few giant strides towards Juice, who tried to swing a punch, but Franky swung the pool cue across her forehead, knocking her to the ground. Bridget was doing her best to cover her now exposed breasts. Franky stood over juice, eyes not leaving the almost unconscious woman's body as she took her teal hoodie off and handed it to Bridget. With shaking hands, Bridget accepted the garment and shrugged it on over her shoulders, zipping it to cover herself. 

"She would've raped you." Franky didn't recognise her own voice as it rung in her ears. Juice stirred slightly, but froze when she realised the jagged end of the broken cue stick was pointing firmly against her throat. She looked at the squirming woman underneath her. "You put your hands on her."

"Fr-Franky -"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Franky screamed, causing even Bridget to flinch.

Bridget stepped into Franky's space, touching her arm. The touch didn't register, Bridget realised. Franky was gone, too far inside her own head. Those green eyes she loved were practically black, her hands couldn't stop shaking. "Franky, I need you to look at me."

Franky rolled her neck. "I'm gonna kill her," her voice said dully. 

"No," Bridget said softly. Franky flinched and fought against her hands as Bridget tried to force Franky to look at her, eventually winning the battle. Franky was crying and she looked utterly drained. "You're getting out of here in a week. You are not doing more time because of someone like her."

"How am I supposed to protect you if I'm not here?" They hadn't been speaking, had kept their distance, but Franky had still been watching over Bridget every single day. She attempted to look back at Juice but Bridget's hands on her face kept her focused on Bridget. "I want to kill her."

Bridget didn't doubt it, didn't doubt that if Juice had taken things a step further then Franky would have killed her by now. "I know." She let her hands fall to cover Franky's that were grasped tightly on the pool cue. "Give it to me, it's okay," she whispered quietly. "Franky." Just as the cue was almost in her hands, Franky's hand gripped over it once more and struck it over Juice's head one more time.

Franky let the weapon fall to the floor, and let herself be engulfed in Bridget's arms. She clung the the smaller woman for dear life. It was Bridget who had been the victim, yet it was Franky that was now the one sobbing into Bridget's neck.

"You got here in time, everything's okay," Bridget soothed. Fucking hell, she missed Franky so much. Hearing footsteps from the corridor, Bridget broke away quickly, before several officers burst through the library. She had pushed the panic button on her radio once Franky had dropped the pool cue.

"What happened?" Will looked between the three women.

Later on in the day, after filling out the relevant incident reports, Bridget made her way into H1. Gambaro was fine, which Bridget was glad as she had been worried of a potential charge against Franky, even though she had saved a member of staff from a potential sexual assault. The unit was empty, save for Bea and Allie who were huddled together on the sofa. Bridget felt a pang of envy as she watched them sitting close together, holding hands. Despite being in prison, it was clear they were incredibly happy together and completely in love. Bea now came to see her for weekly sessions since the Ferguson incident and was gradually beginning to open up and trust her.

Bea got up straight away when she saw Bridget. "Hey," she greeted the psychologist with a small smile. Allie came up to stand at Bea's side, also giving a warm smile. "We heard what happened. Are you okay?"

Bridget nodded. "I'm fine. Thanks to Franky, _again_." She glanced towards the cell door that was shut. "Is she okay?"

Bea sighed. "Honestly?" She shook her head, "No, she's not, hasn't been since she had that talk with Vera that day. She was in a fucking state earlier after what happened to you."

"What talk with Vera?" Bridget asked. Vera hadn't mentioned any talk with Franky and obviously she hadn't been speaking to Franky, so Franky hadn't mentioned it either.

Bea asked Allie if she could give them a minute alone, Allie nodded and went into Bea's cell, which was effectively _their_ cell now, anyway. "Look, Franky's my best friend and I shouldn't be telling you this, but I can't see her this sad and unhappy. She's a fucking mess, Bridget; barely eats, hardly sleeps." She looked to Franky's cell sadly. "I'm telling you this because I know how much you care about her. You told Vera...whatever you told her when she questioned you about your relationship with Franky." Bridget only nodded. "When Franky got back from the hospital, she had a talk with Vera; it was normal at first, but when Franky was about to leave, Vera brought up the two of you."

"What did she say?" Bridget asked impulsively. The same say Franky got back, that's when Franky's mindset changed completely.

Bea wanted to be loyal to Franky, to not repeat anything her friend had told her in confidence...but Bea knew if Franky could get out of this mindset then her friend could truly be happy with Bridget. 

And Franky's happiness on the outside - in general life - meant too much to Bea.

"Vera warned Franky off you, told her that she'd hurt you in the end and that you'd been through enough this year and wouldn't survive a broken heart," Bea spoke truthfully. "Franky doesn't think she's good enough for you and Vera just confirmed it, that's why she stopped seeing you, talking to you. Franky told me how much time you guys spent together in the hospital, she looked like a bloody kid at Christmas when she was talking about you. These past few weeks, she's been fucking miserable without you. And I'm sorry but you're clearly just as sad as she is. She never wanted this, but she thinks she's not good enough for you."

The understanding of why Vera had done it was there, but Bridget still couldn't help but feel angry. Franky's self worth was something she struggled with massively, and Vera had gone and made it even worse. "Franky's lucky to have a friend like you, Bea. But she asked me to stay away, I have to respect that. I just came to thank her for today and to say goodbye."

"Goodbye?" Bea's eyes widened. "You're leaving?"

"No," Bridget confirmed. "I've taken two weeks holiday, I haven't used any since I've started and there's been a lot going on lately." She shook her head sadly. "I don't want to be here when Franky leaves, it's too hard."

Bea felt like shaking both of them. "You're just gonna leave and never see her again? You can't do that, you can't just walk away from her. If she hadn't walked away, would you have given her a chance on the outside?" Bridget's silence was the answer. "Then don't give up on her. You don't realise how much you've changed her. She would do anything for you."

Unable to take anymore, Bridget stepped aside. "I'll see you in two weeks, Bea. If you're struggling then please, please tell Vera or Will and I promise I'll come in, okay?"

Sighing in defeat, Bea walked off to her own cell as Bridget walked towards Franky's. Bridget knocked lightly, barely registering the faintly audible _come in_. Franky was laying on her side, staring at the wall. "Are you okay, after..." Franky trailed off awkwardly.

"I'm fine." Bridget hovered awkwardly. Surprisingly, Franky pulled her long legs up the bed, leaving space for Bridget to sit. She perched herself on the edge of the bed, her body facing Franky. "Are you okay? You seemed pretty upset?"

"I walked in on you about to be raped. Of course I'm upset," Franky spoke harshly.

Hesitantly, Bridget placed her hand on Franky's knee. "Franky, you've been there when I needed you so many times. I'd probably be dead if it weren't for you. Thank you for saving me today, and every other time."

Franky only shrugged. "Y'know, I never told you this but I always hung around the corridor before and after your group sessions - the ones I didn't go to - just to make sure you were okay."

Rationally, Bridget knew that Vera hadn't, and would never, see this soft side of Franky, but in that moment, Bridget was so unbelievably angry at her friend for making Franky doubt her self worth more than she already did. "Why didn't you tell me what Vera said to you?"

Red, Franky thought. Her friend had been pushing for her to talk to Bridget, knowing how much she cared for the psychologist, so Franky could hardly be angry. "Cause it's true. I'd fuck it up, end up hurting you, then I'd hate myself."

The whole situation was painfully frustrating. "Why do you think that? You're not a fuck up, Franky. You've made mistakes, but so has everyone."

Franky finally looked at her, and Bridget could see the pain lurking in those green eyes. "You deserve better."

"What's better?" Bridget questioned. "You're gonna be a lawyer in a few years, do you want me to wait until then? Will we technically match up, then?"

"You know what I mean," Franky muttered out. "Better than someone who was in prison."

God, she wanted to scream. "Franky, I do this bloody job because I believe people can change. You're not the angry girl in the kitchen from four years ago, anymore." She moved further up on the bed, sitting in line with Franky's hips, closer together. "You're kind, you're smart, you're loyal, you're brave." She reached out to brush Franky's fringe from her forehead. "You're beautiful."

"Fuck off." Franky blushed, laughing a little.

"Vera's wrong," Bridget said firmly. "I told you I can make my own mind up."

Franky looked torn. "It's your job, as well, Gidge. If anyone found out, you could lose your licence; I couldn't live with myself if that happened because of me."

"It would be my choice." Bridget was trying her best but Franky was too hesitant and no matter how much she wanted the woman, Bridget was not going to beg. "I've tried," she half laughed, half cried. "Good luck with everything. If you're ever struggling, there's people you can talk to on the outside - don't ever be too proud to ask for help."

Franky laughed. "I'm not leaving for six more days, bit early to say goodbye." Her face paled and she sat up immediately when a single tear rolled down Bridget's face. "You're not leaving, are you?"

"No." Bridget let Franky sit as close as she wanted. This was possibly the last time they'd ever see each other. "I've taken some holidays, so I won't be here when you leave next week."

Disbelieving, Franky shook her head. "No." It wasn't time, yet. "I don't think I can say goodbye to you," she said earnestly. "I don't want to."

"I don't want to, either," Bridget agreed. "I have to go. If I don't get up, now, then I never will." The broken look on Franky's face was killing her. "Bye, Franky."

Franky watched in shock as Bridget got up to walk out of the room, out of her life. "No!" She got up quickly, gently grabbing for Bridget's wrist. "I'm not good at this, you know that...but I've been fucking miserable without you these past few weeks. I fell for you, it's the first time I ever let myself go there and even now, it scares the fuck out of me because not talking to you, not seeing you...its broke my fucking heart, and I get so fucking scared that I won't cope if we get outta here and then you leave." She placed her hands firmly on Bridget's cheeks, it was her go to. "You're the one person I couldn't survive walking away from me. It's so fucking selfish because I don't want you to lose your licence...but I don't wanna lose you."

Bridget's radio broke the stare off.

"Bridget, we have an emergency in the psych unit."

* * *

"I cant believe this is it," Bea sighed out. She was sat on her bed with Franky for the very last time. "It's fucking crazy how we turned out."

Franky laughed. "To think we almost fucking killed each other."

"Still think I won that fight." Bea grinned.

"Bullshit," Franky laughed again. "Sometimes I wish I never helped you, then you could get out of here." She held her hand up, stopping Bea from interrupting, "But I know you needed to do it or you'd have probably killed yourself. I just fucking wish you guys could be there, on the outside."

Bea looked sympathetic. "Never thought I'd say this but I'm really gonna fucking miss you."

Franky smiled. "Kaz better not take my fucking place." Bea only rolled her eyes. "I'm gonna miss you, Red. But I'm so fucking glad you've got Allie."

"Yeah," Bea sighed in agreement. "Anything on Bridget?"

Franky shook her head. "Nothin'. Can't ask any of the screws for her number incase they get suss. She would've made some sorta contact by now, so it's fucked." 

"You don't know that," Bea tried to sympathise. "She might know where your bedsit is."

"Nuh." She'd had her chance and she'd blew it. "She's done the right thing and moved on." Franky lay down on the bed, shoulder to shoulder with Bea. "You have to have enough Lezzo sex for the both of us, now."

Bea grimaced. "Fuck sake, Franky."

Franky sighed. "I can't believe this is it." She'd already said her goodbyes to everyone else - Boomer being the hardest - but left Bea for last. "Do we have to hug and tell each other how much we love each other?"

"That's what normal friends would do." Bea laughed huskily. "But normal friends don't try and kill each other with shivs, so I think we're good."

"I do love you, Red," Franky said honestly. "I wouldn't have changed so much if it wasn't for you. And I promise I'll still visit you arseholes all the time."

Bea took her friends hand, squeezing it tightly. "I love you, too." She felt herself crying before she could even stop herself. "Fuck sake." Her spare hand wiped hastily at her eyes. "Can't believe I'm fucking crying over you."

Franky grinned wildly. "Cause you want me." 

They both laughed, but a throat clearing interrupted them. The rest of H1 were in the doorway, Allie at the front with an eyebrow raised. "Should I be worried?" 

"Sleepover," Boomer called out.

The group dispersed and all came back with their mattresses.

"Why is it always in my cell?" Bea whined.

Allie climbed on to the bed in between Bea and Franky. "This is cosy."

"I'm calling threesome," Kaz teased. She was sharing with Liz and Boomer with Maxine.

"I swear, if you two have sex with me in this bed," Franky warned.

* * *

"And if you ever come back here," Mr Jackson continued to rant as Franky was swiped out of the last gate. She turned around to look at the place from the inside for one last time before stepping over the threshold. "So how does it feel?"

Franky looked around, shrugging slightly. "Kinda feels like we're in the exercise yard talking like we usually do."

Will frowned. "Might feel a bit different once you get to the car park."

Franky screwed her face up. "Yeah because I heard walking through a car park is the epitome of freedom, Mr J."

"Gonna miss you around here," Will said with a small smile.

Franky smiled back. "Yeah, I'm gonna miss you, too. Can't believe I'm missing out on you being _Governor_."

At that, Will really smiled. "Only till Vera's back from maternity." He walked with her further until they reached the start of the car park. "And this is where I leave you."

Franky stood in place a little awkwardly. "Thanks for everything, for forgiving -"

"Franky," he warned with a shake of the head. "It was an accident a long time ago. It was no ones fault, _please_ remember that." 

Franky nodded gratefully. "Look, no matter how hard it gets, you and Vera are the best people for those women. Don't ever quit on them."

"I won't," Will promised. He pulled her in for a quick hug. "Right, get outta here. I've got a prison to run."

Saying a final goodbye, Franky began to walk slowly towards the exit. She turned around a few times, looking at the place from the _outside_. Her entire life, her family for the past four years was now behind her. It was Wednesday and she had arranged to meet her dad and sister on Saturday, but other than that, Franky had nothing. The loud beeping of a horn to her right caused her to freeze, a mega watt grin taking over her face.

Maybe not nothing.

Slowly, Franky walked over to the black Porsche, the shit eating grin on her face refusing to leave. The one on Bridget's face almost mirrored her own as the blonde got out of the car. "Come here," Franky muttered. Her hand reached for the back of Bridget's neck as she pulled her in for a kiss.

_Finally._

How many times they had both imagined it and now it was happening. Franky's hands dropped to Bridget's waist as she smiled into the kiss. They parted slowly before falling into a tight hug, both sighing in pure contentment.

"I missed you," Franky whispered into that soft blonde hair.

Bridget smiled into Franky's neck. "I missed you, too." She was the one to pull them in for a second kiss, this one a little more heated as she pushed Franky against the side of the car. Fuck, she was a good kisser. "You look really fucking good out of the teal, by the way."

Franky let Bridget adjust the collar on her leather jacket, arms still around her waist. "Speaking of which, you never gave me my hoodie back that day..."

"I kept it on that day, think it's in my office somewhere." Bridget grinned into yet another kiss. This was far too easy to get used to. "Figured I'd keep that until I could start properly stealing your clothes."

"You're getting ahead of yourself." And fucking hell, Franky loved it.

Bridget played along. "So... I'll just give you a lift and we'll go our separate ways, then?"

"Fuck no!" Franky playfully patted Bridget's jean clad arse a few times. "I'm goin' wherever you're goin'." She thought back to what Will had said. "Wait, did Mr J know you were gonna be here?"

Bridget shrugged a little. "Will and I have become pretty good friends. Its a long story, but yeah, he knew." Franky looked extremely surprised. "You wanna get the hell out of here?" Bridget started to walk but her hand was firmly pulled back and she was briskly pulled against Franky's toned body.

Franky's hands gently covered her cheeks, something that had quickly become so _theirs_. "Thank you," Franky said genuinely. "I'm so sorry for -"

"Hey, Bridget interrupted her with a soft kiss. "We've got all night to talk, yeah?"

Nodding, Franky closed her eyes and just let herself be, just for a few seconds. A free woman, wrapped up in Bridget Westfall's arms, soft lips being continually pressed against her own. "Plannin' to keep me all night, ay?"

Bridget hummed. "I've waited six months for this day. You're going no where."

Franky grinned. "Gladly."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the only reason Bea was the only one who got a goodbye was because Liz and Boomer got theirs on screen. Just incase anyone was wondering why it was only Bea.


End file.
